Biik Bundjil's Boonwurrung Relational Seasonal Calendar maps out a generations-upon-generations-old knowledge system, and provides guidance on how to respond to changing environmental conditions, to understand and work with them in modern education systems.

It's a system rather than a schedule, separate from the hard-defined Western calendar and offering an alternative to it.

The model recently took home gold as a winner at the Australian Good Design Awards 2026 in the Social Impact category, as well as best in class accolades for Education Services.

Boonwurrung man Jaeden Williams-Briggs founded Biik Bundjil a decade ago, empowering Boonwurrung people to learn more about their culture and relationship with Country.

All others with a connection to the Country, whether it's where they live, learn or work, are invited on the journey.

The award-winning calendar created is used across over 150 early learning centres, schools and community organisations.

Mr Williams-Briggs has worked in cultural education for over 10 years.

He also presents and explains the calendar and Boonwurrung seasons at school visits, as well as professional development and institutional partnerships across education and community settings.

Mr Williams Briggs has called it "the antidote to the industrial revolution".

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"The calendar is not the rhythm. Country is the rhythm," Mr WIlliams-Briggs says of the common, western, four-season and 12 month system.

The Boonwurrung presents this 'rhythm of change' across the flowing cycle of Pareip (true spring), Bullarto Nye-Wiiny (plenty of sun), Weegabil Nye-Wiiny (old man sun), Gareeal (summer rain), Manameet (good time/autumn) and beerreen (no more sun/winter).

"First Peoples knowledge is often approached as something to learn about. This work asks another question: what happens when knowledge held through Country begins changing how the system itself operates?" Mr Williams-Briggs asks.

"This isn't simply putting Boonwurrung seasons onto a Western calendar. It is asking what Country can teach us about time."

He's also explained to National Indigenous Times how aligning with the seasonal calendar, recognising at what point in the rhythm of change it is, can help people feel centred, work with it, rather than against it, and get emotionally connected to Country and the environment around you.

It might even explain feelings of unease and emotional unalignment if you're going against it.

"Somewhere along the way, the ability to override conditions became an expectation that conditions should always be overridden," Mr Williams-Briggs said.

"Living systems continue because they know how to change."

The Good Design jury recognised the calendar, in the education services category, as an "impactful service design project for redefining time as a relational, place-based system grounded in Boonwurrung seasonal knowledge".

"The design translates Indigenous knowledge into a scalable framework that embeds within existing education systems, improving wellbeing and planning across 150+ early learning services, schools and organisations without adding workload," the jury said.

"The Jury was impressed by the project's cultural integrity, practical application and measurable outcomes, including reduced time pressure, more regulated environments and stronger connection to Country. The design team is congratulated on creating a new benchmark for embedding First Nations knowledge into contemporary institutional practice at scale."

For social impact, the jury commended a "profound repositioning of time as a relational, place-based system grounded in Country".

They added the "integration of traditional knowledge systems into education settings represents a significant achievement".

The Boonwurrung Relational Seasonal Calendar is available for licensing online.