So, let’s take a quick scroll down memory lane as we recap the moments that made The Push-Up Challenge 2024 so incredible.
The challenge was real.
3,249 push-ups in 24 days.
All in the name of the push for better mental health in Australia - and honouring the 3,249 lives that were sadly lost to suicide in 2022.
And more than 218,000 incredible Aussies rose to the challenge.
With our passion for mental fitness, we smashed out over 315 million push-ups together. Sweat dripped off brows, muscles ached. And, thanks to a daily commitment to exercise, our participants got stronger and fitter.
It didn’t stop at the humble push-up, either – people got creative with variations including squats, sit-ups, wall push-ups, handstand push-ups, one-handed push-ups and more.
People got their push-up on everywhere from Uluru and the Opera House, to beside the Eiffel Tower and even in icy Antarctica.
Speaking of numbers - we hit an incredible milestone in 2024, representing the efforts of hundreds of thousands of passionate Aussies over the years.
One billion push-ups.
To everyone who has smashed out a single push-up, to those who've done thousands throughout the years - we're so thankful for your efforts in pushing for better mental health for all Australians. Every push-up makes a difference.
We learnt.
Aching biceps aside, The Push-Up Challenge 2024 helped us all to brush up on knowledge and understanding around mental health. Each day, a new mental health fact was shared, clueing us in about everything from medication for mental health, and loneliness, to the significant benefits of connecting with nature and volunteering.
As we learnt, important chats were had and we continued to strive towards smashing stigmas around mental ill-health.
We bonded.
Here at The Push-Up Challenge, connection is a priority – so we were stoked to see so many bonds made and strengthened during the event. Over 30,000 teams and 2,700 communities were created, seeing groups of mates, family, sports teams, colleagues and schools banding together around one big, sweaty goal.
Our corporate participants knocked it out of the park this year, with 61,088 participants in 8,748 workplace teams jumping on board to get behind the cause.
Check out Lauren and her work crew showing off their passion for mental fitness (and push-ups!):
School participation continued its rapid expansion with over 33,800 school participants, and 4,988 school teams from 785 schools. More than 640 Student Ambassadors jumped on board our program from 393 different schools.
Altogether, our schools raised over a mind-blowing $938,000. For the second year in a row, Cranbrook School in Sydney took out our top school fundraiser position.
The Student Ambassador Program, which is proudly supported by The Push For Better Foundation, is one of the leading national mental health student ambassador initiatives in Australia. As part of the program, we provide Mental Health Awareness Training to all Student Ambassadors, which is a valuable opportunity for students to gain tools and knowledge equipping them to have conversations around mental health with their peers.
Here is an incredible birds eye view of the students from Casino Christian School getting their push-ups in:
We raised awareness.
Importantly, the impact on mental health in Australia was felt wide and far, as we pushed to boost awareness and understanding among the community. Discussions around mental health and the mission behind The Push-Up Challenge were held everywhere from breakfast TV to radio, across the front pages of major newspapers and of course, in thousands and thousands of posts on social media.
We fundraised.
Our efforts to push for better mental health saw individual participants, schools and corporate teams rally big-time in support of fundraising for Lifeline, headspace and The Push for Better Foundation.
Our good friends at Northern Star Resources once again generously contributed a huge $200,000 to our two Dollar Match Days, continuing their commitment to the push for better.
Participants encouraged mates, colleagues and families to dig deep for the cause. Everyone gave generously – so generously, in fact, that we raised over $12.3 million for mental health. We’re so proud of everyone’s incredible efforts to bring home this stellar result.
headspace
Funds raised are supporting headspace to deliver vital mental health and wellbeing support to young people and their families across Australia.
Lifeline
Funds raised are supporting the work Lifeline is doing to ensure that its critical support services are accessible to anyone who needs them – anytime, anywhere.
The Push for Better Foundation
Funds raised are supporting the work The Push for Better Foundation is doing supporting the early intervention and prevention of depression, anxiety and suicide.
In just eight years, The Push-Up Challenge has become the largest mental health and fitness event in Australia.
Following the 2024 event, we've now raised over $50 million for mental health programs and services, with over 700,000 people pushing for better mental health and completing more than 1.2 billion push-ups.
Together, we’re making a real difference to mental health in Australia.
