2027 Entry Information

TRAILS invites artists to submit contemporary sculptures to a multi-location interior exhibition, totalling up to 50 finalists.

We encourage all artists, established and emerging to participate.

Works may be submitted to one of two categories, Large Form and Small Form.

Large Form works may be up to a maximum size of 1800mm x 800mm x 800mm, a maximum weight of 30kg. There is no minimum size requirement for Large Form works.

Small Form works may be up to a maximum size of 400mm x 300mm x 300mm, a maximum weight of 30kg.

TRAILS Sculpture Prize is supported by Julia Street Creative Space.

To apply, please read all conditions and criteria below, and proceed to the entry form.

  • Exhibition: September 10 2027 - October 8 2027
  • Submissions Open: Sunday November 1, 2026
  • Submissions Close: 6PM EST Sunday August 1, 2027
  • Announcement of selected works: Sunday August 8, 2027

Eligibility

  1. For the purpose of TRAILS Sculpture Prize, sculpture is defined as a freestanding, non-site specific, three-dimensional object in any medium.
  2. Hanging works (works without any intrinsic support structure) are NOT ELGIBLE and will not be accepted.
  3. All works must be an original creation by the submitting artist and must have been completed within two years prior to the entry date.
  4. Large Form works must not exceed the maximum size of 1800mm x 800mm x 800mm, must not exceed the maximum weight of 30kg and must have a stable base.
  5. Small Form works must not exceed the maximum size of 400mm x 300mm x 300mm, must not exceed the maximum weight of 30kg and have a stable base.

Selection Process & Prize Pool

  1. Selection and placement of works for exhibition will be at the discretion of the exhibition’s appointed curatorial team.
  2. Up to 20 Large Form works will be selected.
  3. Up to 30 Small Form works will be selected.

  4. The total prize pool is $10,000, distributed as:

    • $5000 1st Prize
    • $2000 2nd Prize
    • $1000 3nd Prize
    • $1000 Nature - Our Shared Home
    • $1000 People's Choice

Submission Criteria and Process

  1. Submissions must be submitted via this online platform.
  2. Artists may submit a maximum of 3 Large Form works and a maximum of 3 Small Form works, for a maximum of 6 works in total.

  3. Submissions must include 1-3 high quality photographs of each work taken on a white background.

    See examples A, B, C.

  4. Each separate work incurs an entry fee of $30 (AUD), paid by bank transfer to the account listed at the bottom of this page and in the submission form.
  5. The entry fee is non-refundable except if the exhibition is cancelled due unforeseen circumstances.

Exhibition Criteria and Process

  1. All selected works must be available for the full exhibition period.
  2. Work delivery and collection details will be provided following the selection process.
  3. Artists selected for exhibition are responsible for the transport of their work to and from TRAILS. This includes freight and transport costs in both directions.

  4. All works exhibited in the TRAILS Sculpture Prize will be for sale. Committee for Portland will deduct a commission of 30% from the sale price of any works sold through the TRAILS Sculpture Prize.

    Where appropriate, 50% of this commission will be paid to the artist’s representative.

    The sale price listed on the entry form will remain as the final sale price on all promotional material if the artist is selected as an exhibitor.

  5. All care will be taken when handling works, however Committee for Portland will not be responsible for loss, theft or damage. Artists are responsible for the shipping and insurance cover of their works.
  6. The installation of selected works within the exhibition will be at the discretion of the exhibition’s appointed curatorial team, guided by the artist submitted photographs.
  7. Artists grant TRAILS Sculpture Prize and its licensees the right to reproduce their work and biographical material by any means in any media for archival and promotional purposes. The artist and their gallery (if applicable) will be properly acknowledged in such material.

Entry Payment

Each separate work submitted by the artist incurs an entry fee of $30 (AUD).

The entry fee must be paid by bank transfer with a "payment transfer reference/description" including TRAILS and the artists initials to:

  • Julia Street Trading Account
  • BSB: 325-185
  • ACC: 041-464-88

The entry fee is non-refundable except if the exhibition is cancelled due to public health guidelines or unforeseen circumstances.

Payment Example

For example, Robyn McDonald submits 2 works, transfers $60 and includes the reference TRAILSRM in her entry submission.

Later, she submits 1 more work, transfers an additional $30 and enters the same reference, TRAILSRM.

Artist Queries

All entry queries can be directed to:

Entry form available November 1.