ENTRIES OPEN 30th March 2026 and close at midnight 3rd May 2026
OVERVIEW
The Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival (“the Festival”) is one of regional NSW’s largest and longest running cultural events.
The Festival is a biennial event located in the picturesque Wollombi Valley showcasing world-class sculptures situated in vineyards, galleries and other unique venues dotted around the region.
Our next Festival, scheduled for 12-27 September 2026, has secured $82,000 in prize money to be awarded across a broad range of categories.
All prizes are non‑acquisitive, and every sculpture exhibited in the Festival is offered for sale. This makes the event an exceptional opportunity for collectors and art lovers to support artists in their
professional practice.
In 2024 over 3,500 people visited the Festival and more than $250,000 in sculptures were sold.
The 2026 Festival is shaping up to be even more successful.
The Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival acknowledges First Nations peoples and recognises their continuous connection to culture, community and Country. Our partnership with Wollombi Valley Arts Council and Little Yengo Gallery aims to encourage individual or group applications from First Nations artists in all prize categories.
GENERAL
The Festival accepts a broad range of work. Sculptors at all stages of their professional practice are warmly encouraged to apply.
All applications will be initially assessed for eligibility and then reviewed by a Selection Panel.
Works that are selected will then be invited to exhibit at the Festival.
Once the selected work has been installed at the Festival, a specialist Judging Panel will award the Prizes.
This document includes detailed definitions of all terms. Please refer to Appendix 1 for definitions of terms used throughout this document.
Appendix 2 provides detailed information and eligibility criteria for each Prize on offer at the Festival.
KEY DATES
Entry opens: 30 March 2026
Entry deadline: 3 May 2026 at 11:59pm AEST
Application outcome notification: 31 May 2026
Installation period: 7-10 September 2026
Judging: 11 September 2026
Opening Night and Prize Announcements: 12 September 2026
Exhibition dates: 12-27 September 2026
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
The following information must be included when you apply for entry into the Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival:
- The title of your work
- Contact details
- Up to a 300 word Artist Biography
- A minimum of 2 x Photographs of your work. Photographs must meet our minimum standard of 300 dpi and be either in JPG or PNG format and no more than 4MB in size.
- A 50-word Artist Statement describing the work you have entered
- A list of the Materials used in your work
- Sculpture Dimensions and Sculpture Weight of your work.
- Setting the Sale Price of your work
- The artist warrants that the work submitted is their own original work and does not infringe the copyright, moral rights, or other rights of any third party.
- Payment of the Entry Fee
Additional / optional material that may be supplied to provide more information to the Selection Panel about you and your work include:
- Up to 2 more Photographs of your work
- Up to 300 words of Additional Information about your work.
ELIGIBILITY CHECK
Once you submit your application, it will be checked for eligibility.
The eligibility criteria for the Festival are:
- The work must be a completed Sculpture. Works in progress, concepts and drawings will not be considered.
- All required information has been supplied in the Entry Form.
- The work has not been exhibited at any previous Sculpture in the Vineyards / Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival.
- All Outdoor work and Indoor work weighing more than 10 kilograms must be covered by Public Liability Insurance.
All eligible applications will then be assessed by the Selection Panel for inclusion in the Festival.
ASSESSMENT TO EXHIBIT
The Festival receives significantly more applications than spaces available to exhibit.
To decide which works to accept, the Selection Panel uses subjective criteria including:
- Artistic merit
- Skill
- Suitability of the work considering the Exhibition Sites
Applicants will be notified if they have been selected to exhibit in the Festival by email on or before 31 May 2026.
Members of the Sculpture in the Vineyards Inc Committee are eligible to exhibit but are ineligible for any Prizes.
The decision of the Selection Panel is final.
INSTALLATION OF WORK
Festival Finalists are responsible for the Installation of their work.
Festival Finalists will be provided an Installation Timeframe (morning/afternoon) to install their work.
The installation period will be between Mon 7 Sept – Thurs 10 Sept 2026.
Festival Finalists must meet with a member of the Curatorial Team before commencing their Installation.
The Curatorial Team will decide the placement of your work, and they reserve the right to reject your work if it does not match the information provided in your application.
Festival Finalists must provide all tools, materials and assistants required to display your work. This includes Plinths for Indoor Sculptures.
Every effort will be made to care for your work throughout the Festival, however, Sculpture in the Vineyards Inc. does not accept responsibility for any loss or damage.
AWARDING OF PRIZES
Appendix 2 provides detail for all Prizes on offer at the Festival.
Some Prizes require future commitment from you, so please read this information carefully. You will be asked in the application process whether you wish to be considered for the various special Prizes.
Judging of work will be undertaken on 11 September 2026.
Prize winners will be announced at Opening Night on 12 September 2026.
SELLING OF WORK
It is a condition of entry in the Festival that all works exhibited be available for sale.
You will be asked to provide a Sale Price as part of the application process.
Sculpture in the Vineyards Inc. will deduct 1/3 of this price as Sales Commission if you sell your work. Payments from the sale of your work will be remitted to you on or before 14 days after the Festival closes.
Applicants are advised to consider any other costs that may be applicable to your work (such as GST or Commercial Gallery Commissions) when deciding on your Sale Price.
All sold work must remain at the Festival until its closure on 27 September 2026.
DE-INSTALLATION OF WORK
The official Collection Period for all work (sold and unsold) will be held on Sunday 27 September 1:00pm-3:00pm and Monday 28 September 2026, 9:00am – 4:00pm.
The buyer will be responsible for collecting their work during the Collection Period.
Festival Finalists will be responsible for collecting unsold work during the Collection Period.
The Festival will use its best endeavours to support this process but cannot be held responsible.
Any work that remains on the Exhibition Sites 60-days after the Festival closing date will become an Abandoned Work.
APPENDIX 1 – DEFINITIONS
Abandoned Work | Work not collected from the Exhibition Sites within 60 days of the Festival closing date. After this time, Abandoned Work becomes the property of Sculpture in the Vineyards Inc. Special consideration to extend this timeframe may be requested in writing. There is no guarantee this special consideration will be approved.
Artist Statement | A 50-word description supplied in the Entry Form of the Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival. If your work is selected, this statement will be used in the Festival Catalogue. The Festival does not take responsibility for the accuracy of this statement.
Collection Period | All works (whether sold or unsold) must be removed from the Exhibition Sites either on Sunday 27 September 2026, 1:00pm-3:00pm or Monday 28 September 2026, 9:00am – 4:00pm. Uncollected works that remain onsite for more than 60 days after Festival closing date will be considered Abandoned Work.
Curatorial Team | Curator/s appointed by the Sculpture in the Vineyards Inc Committee to undertake placement of work at the various Exhibition Sites. The decision of the Curatorial Team on placement of all work is final.
De-installation | Removal of work from the Exhibition Site. You must return the place where your work was exhibited back to its original condition by the end of the Collection Period. Meeting this condition will be subject to sign-off from the Curatorial Team.
Emerging Artist | An artist who is not currently represented by a Commercial Gallery and has not yet held a solo exhibition. The Festival reserves the right to decide if a Festival Finalist meets this definition.
Entry Fee | A non-refundable entry fee of $50 is payable on submission of your application. This fee allows you to submit up to 3 entries. Young Artists may submit up to two entries free of charge.
Entry Form | The application made by you through the Festival application portal.
Established Artist | An artist who is not an Emerging Artist
Exhibition Sites | Both indoor and outdoor exhibition spaces as determined by the Curatorial Team and approved by the Sculpture in the Vineyards Inc Committee.
Festival Catalogue | An on-line sales platform. Your entry into the Festival Catalogue will include one photo, your Artist Statement, the Material used and the Sale Price of your work.
Festival Finalists | Applicants selected to exhibit at the 2026 Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival.
Indoor Sculpture | A work that can only be exhibited in an indoor space. The Festival is providing indoor spaces that are enclosed, waterproof, and lockable when not supervised by Festival volunteers.
Indoor / Outdoor Sculpture | A work constructed from materials and finishes that can safely withstand outdoor conditions, but which also presents as a fully resolved artwork in an indoor gallery setting.
Installation | Preparing your work for public exhibition. All installation costs and requirements (such as tools, materials and assistants) are the responsibility of the Festival Finalist.
Installation Timeframe | The Festival will contact you to co-ordinate a time (morning / afternoon) for you to meet a member of the Curatorial Team and install your work. Festival Finalists are reminded that all members of the Festival are volunteers and adhering to the time allocated is strictly required.
Judging Panel | A panel of experts appointed by the Sculpture in the Vineyards Inc Committee to assess exhibited works and award the Festival Prizes. The decision of the Judging Panel is final.
Location | On application the entrant must choose if their work is an Outdoor sculpture, an Indoor sculpture or a work that can adapt to Indoor / Outdoor conditions.
Material | All material that has been used in creating your work.
Opening Night | Saturday 12 September 2026. All Festival Finalists are warmly invited to attend this event.
Outdoor Sculpture | A work designed for open-air display, built from materials that can safely withstand weather and environmental exposure including but not limited to wildlife incursions.
Photographs | Accepted photos must be high‑resolution images supplied at a minimum of 300 dpi, ensuring they reproduce sharply and without pixelation in print. Accepted formats are JPG or PNG and the maximum size limit is 4MB. The quality of the photo you supply will directly impact on how
your work is viewed on our on-line catalogue. The Festival does not take responsibility for the quality of the image that will represent you in our Festival Catalogue.
The sculptor owns the copyright of their work(s) and licences Sculpture in the Vineyards Inc, Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival to reproduce the artwork in its catalogue, website, publicity, media releases and any other promotions in 2026 and in later years in relation to the Sculpture in the
Vineyards Inc, Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival
Plinths | A solid base or block on which a sculpture is placed, raising it so it can be viewed more clearly and safely. All plinths must be newly painted in vivid white and include identifiers so that it can be returned to you on conclusion of the Festival.
Public Liability Insurance | Insurance coverage required to protect against claims arising from personal injury or property damage caused by the artwork during installation, exhibition or de- installation.
Sale Price | This is what the buyer will pay. The Sale Price must include the amount you want to receive for your work plus the Sales Commission that Sculpture in the Vineyards Inc will recover from you plus any additional amounts you need to pay. These additional amounts – if applicable – could include Commercial Gallery Commissions and GST. You should check with your Accountant that you have set this Sale Price at the right amount.
Sales Commission | Sculpture in the Vineyards Inc will deduct 1/3 of the Sale Price to cover the costs of administering this Festival.
Sculpture | A three‑dimensional artwork created as a single, self‑contained form or a unified composition of elements. It is designed to be viewed in physical space from multiple angles and made from any durable material suitable for the Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival Exhibition Sites.
Sculpture Dimensions | The height, width and depth of your work. It is important to ensure the amounts you supply in your application are accurate. Your work may be rejected during the Installation phase if your dimensions do not match the information you supplied in your application.
Sculpture in the Vineyards | The Festival has operated under various names over the years. This term refers to any and all previous iterations of the Festival held in and around Wollombi Valley not referred to specifically as the “Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival”.
Sculpture in the Vineyards Inc | The Incorporated Association that runs the Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival Committee.
Sculpture in the Vineyards Inc Committee | The governing body of Sculpture in the Vineyards Inc.
Selection Panel | A group of practicing artists, curators and collectors appointed by the Sculpture in the Vineyards Inc Committee.
APPENDIX 2 – PRIZES
General prizes open to ALL entries
- Open Prize – $35,000
- Highly Commended – $10,000
- People’s Choice Award – $1,000
Special Prizes that meet particular conditions
Small Sculpture Prize
Open to sculptures that are smaller than 1m high x 1m wide x 1m deep.
- Small Sculpture Prize – $5,000
Excellence in the use of specific Materials Prize/s
Material Awards of $5,000 each for excellence in works that demonstrate outstanding use of a primary sculptural material. The Selection Panel retains discretion to determine the most appropriate category for each work. Categories under consideration may include:
- Excellence in Metal
- Excellence in Stone
- Excellence in Timber
- Excellence in Mixed Media
Special Prizes for Artists
Open to artists meeting particular conditions. Please ensure you have ticked the appropriate declaration under the “Your Details” tab if you wish to be considered for these prizes.
- Emerging Artist Award – $5,000
- Local Artist Prize – $1,000
- Youth Prize – $500 materials voucher
Exposure Prizes
These prizes require future commitment from award winners, therefore please indicate below if you wish to be considered for these Awards.
- The Governor’s Prize – 12 months exhibition of work on the grounds of Government House + $2,000 transportation allowance
- London Sculpture Prize – Opportunity for solo exhibition at the Hampstead School of Art, UK + $5,000 travel allowance
- Sculpture in the Valley Prize – Automatic acceptance into the 2027 Kangaroo Valley Sculpture Festival + $1,000 transportation allowance
All prizes are non-acquisitive
Sculpture displayed above: Stargate – Myles Naylor. Photo courtesy of Chris Southwood.