Sculpture in the Garden Wollongong will return in March and April 2027.
This exhibition, held at Wollongong Botanic Garden every two years, includes the $40,000 Wollongong Acquisitive Sculpture Prize, a $3,000 People's Choice Award, and a $10,000 Ephemeral Prize.
Artist applications opening soon
Sculpture in the Garden Wollongong is open to any artist living in Australia.
Applications to be part of the 2027 exhibition will be open from 29 June - 31 August 2026. Please check back for more information.
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.
Wollongong Acquisitive Sculpture Prize winner: Affinity by Jenny Reddin.
Watch our YouTube interview with Jenny Reddin to learn more about her winning work.
Three works were also highly commended:
- Kom Pen Ya (Bitter is Medicine) by Mechelle Bounpraseuth
- Of Cicadas and Bones by Glenn Barkley
- Cave Pools by Robyn Rumpf.
The 2025 People's Choice Award winner was Dr Virginia Keft (Murawari) for her work Nuwa ganda (Look up).
The 2025 Ephemeral Prize winner was Stephanie Quirk for her work I Belong Under the Sun, You Belong Under the Sun.
Download the 2025 catalogue below to see other works featured in the exhibition.
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.
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)
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)
Winner: King Coal by Louis Pratt
(located in the Flowering Trees and Shrubs Collection / grid reference P6 on the Garden Map PDF, 76 KB)
If you’d like more information, email or call (02) 4227 7111.
Top image: (detail) Glenn Barkley, Of Cicadas and Bones, Sculpture in the Garden Wollongong 2025.