Students from the Yallah campus battled it out against teams from Northern Sydney, South West Sydney and Western Sydney institutes and took out the top prize for landscape construction and landscape design.

Yallah TAFE landscaping teachers Craig Conway, Travis Butler and Daniel Herbert guided the students to victory at the challenge, which was the centrepiece of the Great Aussie Backyard exhibit at the show.

Mr Butler, acting head teacher of horticulture, said the event gave students an insight into the challenges faced by professional landscapers, including working to tight deadlines.

"The event also exposes students to communicating with other students and teachers about their designs and products used in their displays, which is an incredibly important skill to take into the workforce," he said.

"We are thrilled to have won this challenge for the second year in a row. It's a testament to the students' skills in construction detail, workmanship and meeting brief criteria.

The theme for the challenge this year was "Big Ideas, Small Spaces".

The Illawarra team's efforts certainly impressed the judges, who included TV gardening personality Jody Rigby.

TAFE Illawarra floristry students earned a highly commended award for the 2013 TAFE NSW Floral Display.