Three TAFE NSW Institutes participated in this year's Challenge. Illawarra was up against teams from both Western Sydney's Richmond College and SWSi's Padstow Campus.The theme this year was 'Modern Australian Backyard', and Yallah's winning entry was designed with potential bush fire risks in mind, as well as incorporating a solar-powered water feature and native plants that are lowmaintenance.

'Team Yallah', which was made up of 14 third-year students aged between 18 and 24, worked
tirelessly over a four-day period at Sydney's Olympic Park Showgrounds to bring the garden design to spectacular life. Close proximity to the other two entries really helped to fire up the students' competitive spirit. 

"We've been working within three metres of other Institutes and no-one talks to each
other," said Horticulture head teacher, Craig Conway. "It's extremely competitive."And with the
ever-popular People's Choice Award still up for grabs, Team Yallah is daring to dream of winning that as well, making it a double whammy for the Campus and for the Institute. 

Voting for the People's Choice Award closes on Friday 25 March.