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Sculpture in the Garden Wollongong

Thank you, Wollongong!

Sculpture in the Garden Wollongong 2025 has officially come to a close.

We appreciate everyone who took a stroll through the outdoor exhibition, voted for their favourite sculpture or joined one of our workshops/tours. You helped make this year's event one to remember!

Every two years we present Sculpture in the Garden Wollongong at Wollongong Botanic Garden. So stay tuned, as the exhibition will be back in 2027.

Exhibition prizes 2025

The exhibition includes a $30,000 Wollongong Acquisitive Sculpture Prize, a $3,000 People's Choice Prize and for the first time in 2025, a $10,000 Ephemeral Prize.

Check out our 2025 winners below.

This year's winner of the Wollongong’s Acquisitive Prize has been awarded to Melbourne artist Jenny Reddin. She has claimed the $30,000 prize for her stunning workAffinity. Her work will now become a regular part of the Botanic Garden.

Watch the video below to hear from Jenny and her prize-winning work.

Winner: Nuwa ganda (Look up) by Dr Virginia Keft (Muruwari) (pictured below)

Read more about Virginia's work in our media release or the 2025 exhibition catalogue.

Photo by Billie Aye

Photo by Oliver Risi

Winner: I Belong Under the Sun, You Belong Under the Sun by Stephanie Quirk (pictured below)

Read more about Virginia's work in our media release or the 2025 exhibition catalogue.

Photo by Billie Aye

Photo by Oliver Risi

Sculpture in the Garden Wollongong news

Tuesday 29 April 2025
Art and Culture
Tuesday 1 April 2025
Art and Culture
Tuesday 3 December 2024
Art and Culture

Past exhibitions and the permanent collection

All previous winners become part of our city's permanent public art collection and can be viewed at Wollongong Botanic Garden during opening hours.

Winner: Banksia by Deborah Redwood (below, photo by Tad Souden).
(located at the Turpentine Lawn / grid reference N9 on the Garden Map PDF, 76 KB)

Watch our YouTube interview with Deborah Redwood to learn more about her winning work.

Two works were also highly commended:

  • The Bush Custodians by Camie Lyons
  • The Monolith of Contemplation by Selby Ginn.

The 2023 People's Choice Award was a tie between two works:

  • Enlightened by Nature by Julianne Brandt
  • Memorial for Black Summer by Danny Ivanovski.

Download the 2023 catalogue below to see other works featured in the exhibition.

2023 Sculpture in the Garden catalogue PDF, 3506.39 KB

Winner: Curious Dream of an Architect by Fatih Semiz (below, photo by Tad Souden).
(located near the Japanese Tea House / grid reference L6 on the Garden Map PDF, 76 KB)

Winning sculpture, Curious Dream of an Architect, by Fatih Semiz.  Photo by Tad Souden

Three works were also highly commended:

  • Splash by John Fitzmaurice
  • Evolve by Laura Nolan
  • My Greatest Lament by Mark Cuthbertson

The 2021 People's Choice Award went to Evolve by Laura Nolan.

Winner: Steel City by Michael Purdy
(located near the Kawasaki Bridge / grid reference L3 on the Garden Map PDF, 76 KB)

Michael Purdy's sculpture 'Steel City' featuring five columns of various heights made from metal, stone and wood

Winner: King Coal by Louis Pratt
(located in the Flowering Trees and Shrubs Collection / grid reference P6 on the Garden Map PDF, 76 KB)

Louis Pratt's sculpture 'King Coal' featuring the head and torso of a man wearing a cap backwards with his arms crossed

If you’d like more information, email or call (02) 4227 7111.

Top image: (detail) David Doyle, Banksia Vincentia Totems, flat plate steel, Sculpture in the Garden Wollongong 2025.