
Small Sculpture Prize
2025
Strathnairn Arts innaugural non-acquisitive prize pool of $14,000
We’re on the look out for small sculptures with big attitude!
Strathnairn Arts Association, in partnership with Ginninderry and artsACT, is thrilled to announce the launch of the inaugural Strathnairn Arts Small Sculpture Prize (SASS). This prestigious new award seeks to celebrate and highlight the creativity and innovation found in small-scale sculptural works by artists from across Australia.
The prize encourages a diverse range of artistic expression, with submissions open to artists of all levels—from emerging talents to established professionals. The SASS prize will be determined by a panel of appointed judges, who will review each entry before shortlisting 30 finalists. The same panel will then select the 1stPrize ($10,000) Highly Commended ($3,000) and Emerging Artist ($1,000).
The selected finalists are invited to showcase their work in a dedicated exhibition at Strathnairn Arts Association Woolshed Gallery, an inspiring venue set amidst the natural beauty of the Strathnairn region. The Strathnairn Arts Small Sculpture Prize is designed to foster artistic growth and promote the development of sculptural practice, encouraging artists to explore new forms, materials, and concepts.
This initiative not only recognises the finest small-scale sculptures but also provides a platform for meaningful conversation and appreciation of contemporary Australian art. Strathnairn Arts has a proud history as a facility that has been home to many artists working in three-dimensional media. It continues to play an important role in the community with its accessible foundry, ceramics studios, and unique natural environment. Strathnairn Arts Association Inc. is a not-for-profit arts association supported by the ACT Government. This rich legacy will inspire conversations about the differences between large public sculptures and smaller, more accessible works.
Key Dates
Entries open: 12 March
Entries close: 9 July 5.00pm
Finalists announced: 30 July
Delivery of work by courier & in person: 27/28 August
Winners announced & Exhibition opening: 6 September 2.00pm
Finalist Exhibition: 6 September–5 October Woolshed Gallery | 90 Stockdill Drive Holt ACT 2615 | Wed–Sun 10.00am–4.00pm
Eligibility
The competition is open to artists creating in Australia.
For the purpose of the Strathnairn Arts Small Sculpture Prize, sculpture is defined as a freestanding, non-site specific, three-dimensional object or a wall-mounted object.
Entries must not exceed 50 cm in any dimension and not exceed 30 kg
A non-refundable entry fee of $50 must accompany each entered work.
Selection Process
There will be two rounds of judging.
Sculptures will be selected for the Finalist Exhibition by the panel of judges.
The panel of judges will decide the winner of the Strathnairn Arts Small Sculpture Prize 2025, Highly Commended and the Emerging Artist prize.
The Strathnairn Arts Small Sculpture Prize 2025, Highly Commended and Emerging Artist prize will be announced at the opening of the exhibition on 6 September, 2025. Woolshed Gallery | 90 Stockdill Drive Holt ACT 2615
Full terms and conditions can be found on the entry form
SASS 2025 JUDGES
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Wendy Teakel
Wendy works in the fields of sculpture, installation, drawing and painting and has practiced professionally since 1980. Wendy has developed a broad and deep knowledge of contemporary art and the ideas it advocates while her personal creative interests span the parameters of Arte Povera, Assemblage and Environmental Art with focus on site and place explored through human, animal and environmental interactions, particularly in rural and remote settings.
Wendy has travelled extensively within Australia and overseas and undertaken Asialink residencies to Chiang Mai and Pattani and university and private exchanges to Bangkok, Khon Kaen and Chiang Mai in Thailand. She has been the recipient of Australia Council residencies to Tokyo and Echigo Tsumari in Japan and represented Australia at KHOJ international workshop in India.
Wendy regularly exhibits in public and private galleries within Australia and Thailand and her work is held in major collections in Australia including the Australian National Gallery, prominent private, regional and university collections. She has been the Artsact creative fellow and the inaugural CAPO fellow.
Wendy retired from her position as head of Sculpture at the Australian National University in 2017 and now works as a freelance artist and consultant from her studio on Ngunnawal land at Murrumbateman, NSW.
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Tom Gray
Tom Gray has been an active and innovative contributor to the Australian creative landscape for over 25 years, with work spanning Melbourne, Darwin, Canberra, and Sydney. His practice includes visual arts, sculpture, and design. Early in his career he exhibited in events such as Sculpture by the Sea (2000 & 2001).
With a Master of Arts in Public Art from RMIT University, Tom has a sustained commitment to art in public places. He has facilitated, coordinated, and collaborated on a wide array of successful public art and design projects, often working in partnership with artists, landscape architects and architects to integrate art meaningfully into public spaces.
From 2019 to 2025, Tom had the role of Arts & Cultural Planning Advisor for the Ginninderry development, where he led projects and strategies for public art, and also programmed and curated over 40 exhibitions at The Link Art Space.
Tom continues to explore the intersection of art, place, and community through ongoing research and creative practice and design collaborations.
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Dr Amanda Stuart
Amanda Stuart is a regional NSW based visual artist and educator with a deep love of country and story. Her sculptural practice produces objects that invite the psychic re-imaginings of old, unhealed wounds between humans and unwanted animals. Embedded in a materiality of Australian regional terrains and fauna, her works refer to the social, cultural and political difficulties surrounding estranged human-animal relations in contested spaces.
A past degree in land management and work as a park ranger profoundly informed her PhD research and ongoing understanding of white settler/colonizing relations within Australia. Increasingly her art practice strives to acknowledge First Peoples enduring relationships to Country.
Alongside collaborative projects, group and solo exhibitions, Amanda has produced two large public commissions that evolved from her field-based research into wild dog/dingo communities in southeastern Australia.
In 2015, Amanda co-founded the First Nations focused ANU SoAD Environment Studio Electives and community outreach programs which she currently convenes/co-lectures/facilitates. These multi-award-winning courses are made possible due to the generosity of First Nations staff and collaborators.
