Ku-ring-gai Sculpture Trail

Applications

All applications are to be completed with the online application form.

Categories          

Junior Category submissions for individual artists 17 years & under.

Junior category submissions for groups of artists including schools with artists 17 years and under.

Open Category submissions for artists 18 years and older.

Key dates

Eligibility

Materials used in your sculpture should be thoughtfully selected to align with the sustainability theme. Artists are encouraged to move beyond common household recyclables and explore innovative, creative, and durable material choices.

All components must be securely fixed using weather-resistant methods such as waterproof adhesives, wire, or fastenings. Please note that hot glue is not suitable for outdoor conditions.

While there are no strict size limitations for individual pieces, artists must consider safety, ease of installation and removal, environmental impact, and the ability of the work to withstand outdoor conditions including sun, wind, rain, and potential interaction with wildlife.

The works must not have been exhibited in the Ku-ring-gai Sculpture Trail exhibition previously.

Sustainability theme

Judges highly encourage sculptures that showcase and capture the uniqueness of the Australian landscape; art that brings the flora and fauna of the Wildflower Garden to life as well as utilises repurposed and re-cycled materials.

There is a preference for re-cycled materials to be used in an innovative way, and for the artistic intervention to interact with the environment it has been created for. Works that incorporate a wide array of re-cycled materials will be assessed higher in the application process. Completion of an application does not guarantee your works to be exhibited in the trail.

Works adhering to the theme will have the best chance of competing for prize money.

Work Health & Safety

The artist is responsible for ensuring the installation remains safe at all times. All instruction from the Coordinator must be complied with promptly. Artists are required to state how artworks are to be installed on the Application Form. 

Applicants should consider the following:

• the safety and impact of the environment, landscape & public;
• possible site locations;
• ease of installation and removal;
• impact on the environment;
• safety of viewers – no sharp protruding edges, a secure base;
• extreme weather conditions, high winds, rain;
• restrictions and amendments to sites may occur due to safety and/or environmental reasons;
• works considered unsafe or inappropriate will be deemed ineligible.

Available sites for sculptures

Artists are encouraged to visit the areas at the Wildflower Garden to view the sites before submitting an application.

Sites are available on the following tracks:

• Senses Track.
• Dampier’s Clearing through to Solander Trail.
• Solander Trail Loop.

As this is a sustainable outdoor event no sculptures will be exhibited within Caley’s Pavilion or any other indoor venue at the Wildflower Garden.

Some parts of the site are restricted in order to protect the safety of people, artworks and the environment. The final decision on all sites will be at the discretion of the Coordinator and discussion will not be entered into.

Site selection and additional information

Artists whose works are chosen for exhibition will be notified by Friday 31 July 2026.

The final site selection for all sculptures in the exhibition is the decision of the selection panel which will be made up of industry peers and nominated Council staff. The Selection Panel reserves the right to invite artists into the exhibition without application and these artists will not be eligible for awards. Artists are invited to inspect the site at any time during Wildflower Garden opening hours 8am - 5pm daily.

Completion date for sculptures

All selected sculptures must be completed by Sunday 16 August 2026.

Up to three photographs of the completed sculpture must be provided by Sunday 16 August 2026.

Electronic images must be in JPEG format (of a size not smaller than 500KB and not larger than 3MB) sent by email to: events@krg.nsw.gov.au

Artist awards

Prizes have been funded from the Ku-ring-gai Council Environmental Levy, Ku-ring-gai Council Wildflower Garden and Ku-ring-gai Council. Works will be voted for by both the Selection Panel and the public. The final decision will be made by the Selection Panel and no correspondence will be entered into.

$6000 in cash and prizes is on offer for the winning entries. The Open Category will have a first prize winner and runner up. The Junior category will have an individual winner and highly commended. There will be a People’s Choice Award, voted by the public during their trail visit and will be announced once the exhibition has concluded.

Open Category Prizes:

• First Prize of $3000
• Runner Up Prize of $1750
• 2 x Highly Commended Prize of $300

Junior Category Prizes:

• First Prize of $300
• 3 x Highly Commended Prize of $100

Group Category Prizes:

• Group Winner Prize includes a full day excursion for one class/group at the Wildflower Garden.

Transportation

Artists are responsible for the transportation of their sculptures to and from the exhibition site. Artists must remove all packaging materials from the site, and are liable for any damage that may ensue as a result of installation or de-installation of their artworks.

Installation and removal

Installation will take place on Monday 31 August & Tuesday 1 September between 8.30am and 4pm. An alternate installation time can be arranged by negotiation with the events coordinator. Artists will have 2 days to install their work within opening hours of the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden. All responsibility, including cost, for the installation and de-installation of artworks belongs to the artist. If you need extra hands, please bring them along.

It is a condition that:

• selected artists provide a written description of the process to install and de-install their sculpture prior to installation;
• all selected artists are to have a daytime contact number or mobile telephone number during installation, the exhibition and de-installation days;
• artists agree that their sculptures will not affect the environment or road in any lasting way (eg. rocks cannot be drilled into, trees and plants cannot be cut back or drilled into, and plants cannot be disturbed in any way);
• artists agree that all elements of the sculpture are held together securely using appropriate methods whilst still maintaining sustainability;
• De-installation of sculptures will be on Tuesday 6 October 2026 from 8.30am and all sculptures are to be removed by the exhibiting artist by 5pm.

All sites must be returned to their original condition by each exhibiting artist.

Entry fee

There is no entry fee for the exhibition in 2026.

Each individual can submit up to a maximum of 3 separate sculptures for pre-selection. A separate set of application documents must be submitted for each entry.

Sales

Entries may be labelled Not For Sale (NFS) or sold privately after the exhibition by arrangement between artist and potential buyer. The coordinator can supply contact details to interested buyer.

Security and insurance

Artists exhibit at their own risk and insurance is the artist’s responsibility. Ku-ring-gai Council staff will exercise all reasonable care, but are not responsible for loss or damage to any work while in its custody, during transit or on exhibition, including damage relating to all weather conditions.

Additional terms and conditions

It is important that artists agree to the following:

• Artists agree not to issue press/media releases without the written consent of the coordinator.
• By signing the entry form, the artists give Ku-ring-gai Council exclusive right to reproduce images of submitted work for any purpose, including but not limited to the exhibition brochure, website promotion of the event and promotional material for future exhibitions.
• Should you wish to use images from the exhibition for whatever purpose, the coordinator must be notified prior to the use of the images. All images used must credit Ku-ring-gai Sculpture Trail.
• Sculptures are required to stay in the exhibition for the entire duration and cannot be removed prior to Tuesday 6 October 2026. All sculptures must be removed on that date.
• Sculptures cannot affect or damage the environment or surrounding areas in any way.
• All instructions and requests from the coordinator, Council Officers and public authorities must be complied with.
• Note: By submitting an application you are agreeing to the terms and conditions laid out in this document. The terms of this agreement apply into the future and are not limited to the year of exhibition.