Following a nationwide search and a flood of creative entries John Deere has awarded their content creator prize for 2026
John Deere has named New South Wales couple and volunteer firefighters Chris Costaganna and Alli Chandler as its 2026 Content Creators.
Their witty video showcasing a weedy lawn, ageing equipment and a desperate plea for help won over judges and earns them their very own John Deere tractor, implements and mower to use on their 400ha property for six months.
Chris and Alli Chandler have built a strong following on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube as ProjectResto, tracing Chris’s restoration of old lawn mowers, tools and small machinery, as well as the couple’s renovation of their garden and surrounds in time for their wedding on farm in 2024.
Their winning entry showed Chris in denial about the state of their lawn, second-hand equipment and broken-down windmill, while Alli voiced a desperate plea to ‘Help us, John Deere.’
The high school teacher and lawyer, who serve as members of the NSW Rural Fire Service, were excited to win after putting their entry in early.
“As the competition deadline approached, there were more and more videos showing up that were pretty good, so it was amazing when John Deere contacted us to say we’d won.” Chris confirmed.
“My wife was the brains behind it, she convinced me to add humour to make it different…and a little bit of truth.
“I haven’t won anything in my life, except maybe a dance competition at a wedding when I was seven.
It was the second time they’d entered the Content Creator Competition, that offered one lucky winner the free use of a John Deere compact utility tractor and ZTrakTM Zero-Turn Mower for six months, to tackle their property projects and make fun videos along the way.
“Chris and Alli’s video were laugh-out-loud funny, but you can also tell they really inspire each other, so they are a wonderful combination,” John Deere Australia and New Zealand Small Ag & Turf Marketing Manager, Erin Wagstaff ensured.
Chris and Alli follow in the footsteps of the inaugural John Deere Content Creator Competition winner, flower grower Phaedra Rodriguez in Victoria, who has shown how someone new to machinery can learn quickly and achieve big things.
“I have no doubt the ProjectResto team will entertain their many followers on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube because they’ve got big plans to transform their property over the next six months,” Phaedra added.”
Chris and Alli have already chronicled the rejuvenation of the lawn and surrounds of their farm in the small hamlet of Glanmire NSW prior to their wedding at home in 2024, as well as touching on Chris’s commitment to the men’s mental health movement, Movember, when he used a push mower to mark out ‘Movember’ in giant letters in the paddock.
Chris admits he’s a long-term thinker while Alli provides the impetus to get the job done and they’re looking forward to working with their new green and yellow machines.
“Obviously coming from a family farming background, we’ve grown up with the recognition of John Deere as a premium-quality product and a brand that can be trusted, and one that really stands out in the paddock,” Alli admitted.
“In terms of engagement, we’re sitting at about 40,000 to 80,000 views across different posts each month, but a lot of our best responses have been to multi-part content, like following the progress of planting turf to grow our lawn,” Chris was chuffed to say.
To join the ProjectResto journey over the next 6 months, follow Chris and Alli on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
