We are now accepting entries for the 2026 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize
In 2026, the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize celebrates its 25th anniversary, marking a quarter-century of championing ambitious ideas on an intimate scale. Established in 2001 as Australia’s first acquisitive award devoted to sculptures no larger than 80cm in any dimension, the Prize has grown into an internationally respected platform for creative brilliance. Proudly presented by Woollahra Council and hosted by Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf, the Prize invites artists to push the creative potential of limited scale, presenting an eclectic mix of works across a wide spectrum of materials and artistic approaches.
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Prizes:
The Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize
An acquisitive award of $25,000
The Special Commendation Award
A non-acquisitive award of $2,000
The Mayor's Award
A non-acquisitive award of $1,000
The Viewers' Choice
A non-acquisitive award of $1,000
Key dates:
Entries open:
13 April 2026
Entries close:
12 July 2026
Finalists announced:
10 August 2026
Cut-off for artwork delivery to Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf:
7 September 2026
Winners announced:
1 October 2026
Exhibition of Finalists:
2 October to 29 November 2026 at Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf
Viewers' Choice Award announced:
30 November 2026
Eligibility:
- For the purpose of the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, sculptures are defined as freestanding, non-site specific, three-dimensional objects or wall-mounted objects.
- Entries should not exceed 80cm in any dimension, and must have a stable base (or appropriate mount). The overall weight and dimensions must allow for easy transportation, and not exceed the carrying capacity of two average persons.
- All entries must be the original work of the submitting artist and must have been designed or completed within one year prior to July 2026.
- There is no limit to the number of entries an artist can submit. A separate entry form and fee must accompany each entry. Only one work per artist will be shown in the exhibition.
- Collaborative entries are acceptable.
Terms and conditions:
1. Exhibition Period
All works must be available for the full exhibition period: 2 October – 29 November 2026.
2. Transport of Artwork
Artists selected for exhibition are responsible for transporting their work to and from Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf. This includes all freight and transport costs in both directions.
3. Image and Information Requirements
Selected artists must supply high-resolution images (minimum 96 dpi) of their final work, as well as other supporting materials, to assist with promotion and interpretation of their work and the broader exhibition.
4. Sale of Works
All selected works must be available for sale.
- The gallery takes a 40% commission, plus 10% GST on the commission amount, from the listed sale price.
- Represented artists are charged a 20% commission, plus 10% GST on the commission amount.
- Note: GST-registered artists must include GST in their listed sale price. Woollahra Council is not responsible for remitting GST on behalf of the artist.
5. Sale Price Finality
Artists must nominate a sale price in Australian Dollars (AUD) on their entry form. If selected as a finalist, this price will be considered final and will appear in all promotional materials.
6. Insurance and Liability
While all care will be taken when handling artworks, Woollahra Council accepts no responsibility for loss, theft, or damage at any stage of the exhibition process. Artists are responsible for insuring their own works.
7. Display and Presentation
The presentation and placement of artworks will be at the discretion of the Gallery Team. All care will be taken to respect special display requirements to maintain the integrity of the artwork.
8. Moral Rights
Artists retain the moral rights to their work:
a) In accordance with the right of attribution (and the right against false attribution), artists will be correctly credited in all reproductions and presentations.
b) In accordance with the right of integrity, Woollahra Council will, to the best of its ability and within its control, safeguard the work from any treatment that may be harmful to the artist’s honour or reputation.
9. Copyright
Artists retain full copyright of their work.
10. Reproduction License
Finalists grant Woollahra Council a non-exclusive, unlimited license to reproduce their work and biographical material for promotional purposes and inclusion in the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize archive. Artists and their galleries (if applicable) will be duly credited in accordance with Clause 8(a).
11. Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) Rights
a) Artworks or texts containing ICIP will not be altered or adapted by Woollahra Council without the artist’s free, prior, and informed consent.
b) Council will consult with internal experts and/or the artist to ensure that ICIP content is not presented in a derogatory, degrading, or culturally inappropriate way.
c) Interpretation materials will include attribution of ICIP as directed by the artist.
d) Woollahra Council recognises that displaying the likeness of a deceased Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artist may be culturally inappropriate. If notified of an artist’s passing, Council will, where reasonably practical, remove the artist’s likeness from any promotional or published materials at the request of a family member or representative.
12. Delivery Deadline for Catalogue Inclusion
Finalists must ensure their artworks are delivered to Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf by Monday 7 September 2026.
Works not received by this deadline may be excluded from the exhibition catalogue and associated promotional materials.
Entry process:
Artists can submit entries via the Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf website, providing their name, contact details, artist bio, artwork details (including up to 3 images, title, date, materials, dimensions, weight, price, handling, and display requirements), and an artwork statement.
A non-refundable entry fee of $51.50 (plus a 0.55% transaction fee) must accompany each entered work. Entry fees contribute towards the cost of organising the Prize and exhibition.
Selection process:
- It is anticipated that between 45-60 entries will be selected for the exhibition of finalists.
- Judges will decide the winners of the 2026 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize and the Special Commendation Award from the works selected for exhibition.
- The Mayor of Woollahra will decide the recipient of the 2026 Mayor’s Award.
- The 2026 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, Special Commendation Award and the Mayor’s Award will be announced at the opening of the exhibition on 1 October 2026.
- The Viewers' Choice Award - voted on by the public - will be announced following the conclusion of the exhibition.
Judges:
The judges of the 2026 Prize are Beau Neilson, Arts Leader and Philanthropist, Tim Silver, Artist and winner of the 2018 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize and Emily Sullivan, Assistant Curator of Contemporary International Art, Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Beau Neilson
Beau Neilson is a Sydney-based arts leader and philanthropist with deep experience across cultural institutions, independent venues, and the visual arts. As Creative Director of The Vanguard and formerly of Phoenix Central Park, she has long championed emerging and established artists across disciplines. She serves as Trustee of the Powerhouse Museum, board member of MusicNSW and the Live Music Venues Alliance, member of the NSW Government's 24-Hour Economy Advisory Council and the Creative Communities Council, and Gifting Committee Member of the Neilson Foundation, one of Australia's leading contributors to arts and social cohesion.
"What draws me to the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize is the intimacy of it. Working at human scale, artists make deliberate, precise choices, and the range of materials and approaches that emerge is consistently surprising. Spaces like the Woollahra Gallery are doing something essential for their communities, and this prize is a beautiful expression of that. I'm looking forward to seeing what this year's artists bring."
Tim Silver
Tim Silver is a multidisciplinary artist who explores concepts of time and connection. By life casting figures and fragments of his friends and loved ones, the artist presents intimate yet haunting corporeal portraits of connection. These private moments and their transient nature offer a perspective of how personal and collective histories intersect and inform one another.
Silver's work is held in significant private and public collections, including the National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, Murray Art Museum, Albury and Museum of Contemporary Art, Australia. Silver won the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize in 2018.
"With so few sculpture prizes in the Australian arts, it's an honour to be invited on to the judging panel of the 2026 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize. I'm excited to see what exploratory rigour and risks this year's artists bring to both their materials and forms."
Emily Sullivan
Photo: Felicity JenkinsEmily Sullivan is assistant curator of contemporary international art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Recent projects at the Art Gallery include Mechelle Bounpraseuth: ສູ້ສູ້ Sou Sou and Pet Palace by Little Orange Studio. She was assistant curator Mike Hewson: The Key's Under the Mat and Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day? (2023). Previously, she was a curator for Kaldor Public Art Projects. Emily holds an MA in Curating and Cultural Leadership from UNSW Art & Design, Sydney, and has studied at Sotheby's Institute of Art, London.
"Small sculpture has the power to create uniquely intimate encounters between artist and viewer. I'm excited to join the judging panel for this prestigious prize and to discover new work by artists from around the world."
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