Big Hearts, Bold Sneakers and a Whole Lot of Sole: Harcourts Foundation Crowns Its First Sneaker Day Champions

Who knew swapping dress shoes for sneakers could create so much excitement?

From bespoke Harcourts kicks and colourful creations to office parades and team spirit in full stride, Harcourts offices across Australia and New Zealand embraced the inaugural Harcourts Foundation Sneaker Day 2026, raising funds for its Foundation Partner, Orange Sky, while proving that doing good can also be a lot of fun.

The day saw hundreds of Harcourts team members trade their usual corporate footwear for sneakers, all in support of Orange Sky, whose free laundry, shower and genuine conversation services help Australians and New Zealanders experiencing homelessness and hardship.

While every participant was a winner, there were a few sneakers—and teams—that simply couldn't be ignored.

After much deliberation (and more than a few laughs), the inaugural Sneaker Day winners have been announced.

Best Sneaker
The bespoke Harcourts sneaker – Aimee Garside of Harcourts Dapto (pictured)

Best Team Sneaker Moment
The Sneaker Parade from Harcourts Melbourne City (pictured)

Head of the Harcourts Foundation, Pauline Smith, said selecting the winners had been one of the hardest parts of the campaign.

"After a lot of debate, we now have the winners from our very first Sneaker Day," Ms Smith said.

"We honestly couldn't split the winner of our Most Creative Sneaker Moment category, so for the very first Sneaker Day we have two deserving winners. The creativity, enthusiasm and effort shown by everyone across the network absolutely blew us away."

"What started as a fun idea quickly became something much bigger. Offices embraced the challenge, colleagues rallied behind one another and people who may never have donated before found a simple and enjoyable way to support the Harcourts Foundation and our Foundation Partner, Orange Sky."

Ms Smith said the campaign perfectly reflected the culture of Harcourts.

"We invited everyone to put their best foot forward—and that's exactly what happened," she said.

"From personalised sneakers and colourful costumes to entire office parades, the creativity was incredible. More importantly, every pair of sneakers represented someone choosing to help Orange Sky continue its incredible work supporting people doing it tough in our communities."

"To everyone who laced up, donated, shared a photo, encouraged a teammate or simply got involved—thank you. Sneaker Day reminded us that generosity doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes it starts with simply putting one foot in front of the other."

The overall Sneaker Champion 2026 title went to Wendy Lenaghan and the team from Harcourts Broadbeach | Mermaid, whose enthusiasm perfectly captured the spirit of the day.

Accepting the honour, Wendy summed up her approach with a smile.

"If it's good enough for Mike Green, it's good enough for me!" she laughed.

Harcourts Managing Director Mike Green said the inaugural event had exceeded expectations.

"Sneaker Day captured everything that's special about Harcourts—community, generosity and a willingness to have a bit of fun while making a genuine difference," Mr Green said.

"Seeing our network embrace the idea with such enthusiasm has been fantastic. I have no doubt Sneaker Day will become a much-loved tradition across Harcourts for years to come."

While the winners may now have the bragging rights—and the coveted Sneaker Day honours—the real winners are the communities that will benefit through the work of Orange Sky.

One thing is already certain.

The bar has officially been set for Sneaker Day 2027.