SWAP | Sustainable Waste 2 Art Prize

Sustainable Wast 2 Art Prize banner

Jump to:  About the Art Prize - Categories and Prizes - Important Dates - Terms and Conditions - More Information 

SWAP-Digital-Exhibition.jpg DIGITAL EXHIBITION

The digital exhibition is now open and will run until Sunday 30 September.

Visit the digital exhibition

2023 WINNERS AND COMMENDATIONS ANNOUNCED

The City of Ryde has announced the winners of the 2023 Sustainable Waste to Art Prize (SWAP). View the winners and commendations below.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD

Vote for your favourite artwork in each category by clicking on the buttons below.

Junior Category   Youth Category   Open Category

The Sustainable Waste 2 Art Prize (SWAP) is an environmental art competition for people aged 10 and over who live, work, study or play in the City of Ryde. SWAP aims to raise awareness of environmental issues and encourage positive behaviour change using artworks and design objects made from upcycled waste materials as mediums of communication.

There’s $5,000 in prizes across six categories – Junior (10-13yrs), Youth (14-17yrs), Open (18yrs+), Functional, Schools Participation and People’s Choice. Prizes will be awarded based on the upcycling of waste materials, environmental messaging and artistic merit.

Around 80 artworks and design objects will be selected for exhibition at See Street Gallery, Meadowbank TAFE from Friday 1 September to Thursday 14 September 2023 and virtual tour on Council’s website from Friday 1 September to Saturday 30 September 2023.

2023 Winners & Commendations 

SCHOOLS PARTICIPATION AWARD

Primary School Winner: Putney Public School 

High School Winner: Marist Sisters College Woolwich
High School Winner: St Ives High School 
High School Winner: St Joseph's College

FUNCTIONAL AWARD

Winner: Rice Sack Chic - Eva Freeman 
Runner Up:Waste Down - Xiang Chen

JUNIOR CATEGORY AWARD (10-13YRS)

Winner: Symbiosis - Jeorgia Bowden 
Runner Up: Our Footprint - Henrietta Robinson
Highly Commended: Magnetised - Oliver Kolos
Highly Commended: Hunting - Yeonsoo Park
Highly Commended: Fabric Flowers - Tara Keshavarz

YOUTH CATEGORY PRIZE (14-17YRS)

Youth Winner: Checkmate - Kiki Margetis 
Youth Runner Up: Metal Betta - Sienna Gordon 
Youth Highly Commended: Unexplored - Amber Denham
Youth Highly Commended: Peckish Duck - Diya Maninathan 
Youth Highly Commended: Abuse - Mina Ju

OPEN CATEGORY AWARD (18+YRS)

Open Winner: Varieties of Sardines - Jo Rijke
Open Category: Gabriel - Mary Boland
Open Highly Commended: An elegant illusion - Sam Tsang
Open Highly Commended: Sneakers are cheaper than therapy - Patrick Duffy

View photos from the 2023 Awards Ceremony & Exhibition

Finalists

Open Category (18+ years)

Jo Rijke Varieties of Sardines
Assaf Carmeli Tools in Flight and Scavenger
Serkan Ogdum Uprising in the Wasteland
Stephanie Powell Seahorse
Leanne Cowie Jewel in the sky
Lise Hobcroft Bagged
Karina Vallins Glass Heart and Lost Words
Juliet Holden Alice's lost world
Camilla Ker Revived Threads
Sam Tsang An elegant illusion
Vanessa Wolfe Aquatic Treasures
Samantha Sirimanne Hyde ECOllage
AJ Gough Stop A sign from the Earth - Part 1 and SLOW- A sign from the Earth; Part 2
Lauren Maccoll Quilt no.10
Sun Min (Lucy) Circular Gratification and Unconscious, Lost, Unaware
Gabrielle Robinson Don't Waste Our Waterways
Gail Barclay The Rag Trade - the end of the line
Marcela Ordonez The marks you leave behind...
Joy Barrett Walk a mile in my shoes
Nelli Simonyan Recycled to life
Tracie Axton Cyanobacterial Blooms
Lesley Richman Koalas
Jerome Lafforgue Artificial Life
Marina Robins Eleventh Hour
Jacquie Riddell Garden of Consumption
Moira McGuire Kimmey K's cat 
Anna Tierney Re-emergence, an assemblage
Mari Ohanes Honouring Nature's Splendour
Mary Boland Gabriel
Patrick Duffy Sneakers are cheaper than therapy
Sharon Horne Rainbow Lorikeet
Virginia Lee Fruits for Thought

Youth Category (14-17 years)

Mina Ju Abuse 

Sienna Gordon Metal Betta
Holly Mizens The Black and White Swan
Diya Maninathan Peckish Duck
Xiang Chen Waste Down
Rome Circosta Blossom Adorned
Roxanne Denham Blossom Project and Technicolour Attire
Tanisha Chari Through the Looking Glass
Amber Denham Unexplored
Kiki Margetis Checkmate
Students of St Lucy's School Wahroonga These are not Jellyfish...

Junior Category (10-13 years)

Jeorgia Bowden Symbiosis 
Coen Jones, Cooper Wilson Dorito Airs
Henrietta Robinson Our Footprint
Emma Thomson Looking deep into the God's eye
Eva Freeman Rice Sack Chic
Helena Fitzgerald Modern World vs Nature
Sienna Greentree, Ellie Pan EcoThread
Sierra Mant Animal Dreams
Milla Klimkina Red Button Squid
Emilia Tommasello Turtle Trouble
Chloe Huang Just like me
Pippa Mann The 'Scrap' Castle
Tara Keshavarz Fabric Flowers
Sarah Triantis Why do we litter?
Naren Maninathan Tractor's Mess
Yu Chen Liu Plastic Bottle Fan
Isabelle Battiwalla Starry Blight 
Cody Ko, Kyan Werry, Neeco Wickham The Sewage
Mina Amano, Chloe Tye, Lois Cowper Rubbish Rainbow
Paige Hinton, Lliana Houssos Save our planet before the aliens do
Mia Parisio Endangered species across the world
Madeline Reid The Sleepy Ocean
Maiia Kurochkina, Katrin Pysarenko Recycled Reptiles
Haeum Yoo Kaleidoscopic Colour Ball
Caitlin Tye Cat Dog Dog
Cleo Maua Sea Serpents
Luca Funai, Noah Beaumont, Natalie Zhang, Oscar Barnes Recycle Time :)
Liam Newton, Oliver Lee, Leon Park Leaning Tower of Top Hats
Oliver Kolos Magnetised
Yeonsoo Park Hunting
Abigail Doo Hanging ocean life

About the Art Prize

Read more about the Art Prize

What kind of art can be submitted?
  • Artworks and design objects submitted to SWAP must relate to environment, sustainability or waste themes and be made from used or recovered waste materials
  • Works can be two or three dimensional. They can be an artwork such as a sculpture, assemblage, collage or textile piece, or a functional object you can wear or use.
  • Works must be no larger than 150cm in height, width or depth. This includes the frame or any other display devices.
  • Three-dimensional works can be free standing or wall mounted. If wall mounted, they cannot exceed 20kg in weight.
  • New (non-waste) products can only be used for assembling the work, including for binding, bonding and adhering.
  • All entries must be the original work of the exhibitor and created within two years prior to 31 August 2023. Artworks and design objects previously exhibited in other prizes and exhibitions are still eligible.
  • For cultural sensitivity reasons, artworks that contain certain unauthorised use of indigenous symbols, motifs or styles are not eligible.
  • Works that are considered offensive will not be selected. Council reserves the right to refuse to exhibit artwork that does not align to Council’s community values
  • A maximum of two entries may be submitted per person.
Who can apply?
  • All entrants must either live, work, study or play in the City of Ryde.
  • Entrants must be 10 years and older

Council has created educational resources and videos to help you create your entries. There’s also tips on writing an artist statement and photographing your artworks.

Categories and Prizes

View a list of Categories and Prizes

Open Category

Winner $1,500 / Second prize $500
Open to people aged 18 years and over as at 31 August 2023

Youth Category

Winner $750 / Second Prize $250
Open to people aged 14 to 17 years as at 31 August 2023

Junior Category

Winner $300 / Second Prize $150
Open to people aged 10 to 13 years as at 31 August 2023

Schools Participation Award

Primary School Winner $250 / High School Winner $250
Awarded to the primary school and high school with the highest number of entries (maximum two entries per person).

Functional Award

Winner $500 / Second Prize $250
Judged from across all categories. Awarded to the design object which best uses reclaimed waste materials to form a functional piece.

People’s Choice Award

Junior Winner $100 / Youth Winner $100 / Open Winner $100
Open to all applicants who are selected for the exhibition in any category. Audiences will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite artwork or design object in the exhibition.

Important 2023 Dates

View a list of important dates

Date What's happening
Saturday 1 April 2023 Applications open

Wednesday 18 January 2023
Wednesday 12 April 2023
Wednesday 5 July 2023

Waste to art workshops to help you create your SWAP entries
Sunday 23 July 2023 Applications close
Thursday 3 August - Monday 7 August 2023 Successful exhibiting artists notified and posted on the City of Ryde website
Thursday 10 August - Saturday 12 August 2023 Selected artworks and design objects to be delivered to See Street Gallery
Thursday 31 August 2023 Opening night and awards ceremony at See Street Gallery 6.00pm to 8.00pm
Friday 1 September - Thursday 14 September 2023 Exhibition at See Street Gallery 11.00am to 4.00pm Tuesday to Saturday (closed Sunday to Monday)
Friday 1 September - Saturday 30 September 2023 Digital exhibition on City of Ryde website
Friday 15 September - Saturday 16 September 2023 Artworks and design objects to be collected from See Street Gallery
Saturday 30 September 2023 People’s Choice Award voting closes
Tuesday 3 October 2023 People’s Choice Award winners announced

Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions

ENTRY CRITERIA

All entries must be the original work of the exhibitor and created within 2 years prior to Thursday 31 August 2023.

Works must be no larger than 150cm in height, width or depth.

A maximum of two entries may be submitted per person.

For cultural sensitivity reasons, artworks that contain certain unauthorised use of indigenous symbols, motifs or styles are not eligible. Works that are considered offensive will not be selected.

Decisions regarding works selected for exhibition and judging of prize winners will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. 

EXHIBITION

It is anticipated that around 80 artworks and design objects will be selected for exhibition at See Street Gallery, Meadowbank TAFE from Friday 1 September - Thursday 14 September 2023.

The selected artworks will also be able to be viewed online via a virtual tour on Council’s website from Friday 1 September - Saturday 30 September 2023. Exhibition curator Nick Vickers and the students from the Cert IV Arts Administration course at Meadowbank TAFE will curate and install the exhibition.

All works selected for the exhibition must remain on display in See Street Gallery, Meadowbank TAFE until after the conclusion of the exhibition. 

SELECTING AND JUDGING

Artworks and design objects to be exhibited will be selected by the City of Ryde SWAP Project Team based on adherence with the entry criteria, environmental messaging and artistic merit. Artists and designers selected for the exhibition will be notified between Thursday 3 August - Monday 7 August 2023. 

The winners of the Open, Youth, Junior and Functional categories will be chosen by a panel of three independent expert judges. The winner of the Schools Participation Award will be determined by the school with the most entries. The winners will be announced at the official opening night and awards ceremony on Thursday 31 August 2023 between 6.00pm and 8.00pm at See Street Gallery, Meadowbank TAFE and published on Council’s website.

The winner of the People’s Choice Award will be determined by the entry with the highest number of votes cast by the public. The winner of this award will be published on Council’s website after the conclusion of the exhibition on Tuesday 3 October 2023.

The City of Ryde reserves the right to change the judges without notification to the entrants. 

DELIVERY OF ARTWORKS

Selected works are to be delivered to See Street Gallery, Meadowbank TAFE on Thursday 10 August or Friday 11 August 2023 between 10.00am - 6:00pm, or Saturday 12 August 2023 between 10.00am - 4.00pm.

Two-dimensional work must be ready for hanging with D-rings secured to the back, wire is not accepted. Three-dimensional works that are to hang must have a suitable hook or feature to hang the work from. Plinths will be provided for small artworks, but designers must supply their own mannequins. Works that contain multiple parts must be accompanied by instructions for display.

The position and placement of artworks and design objects within the gallery is at the discretion of the curator.

All queries related to artwork drop off are to be managed by the curator. 

DE-INSTALLATION

Artworks and design objects selected for the exhibition must be picked up in person with photo ID or receipt of entry on Friday 15 September 2023 between 10.00am - 6.00pm or Saturday 16 September 2023 between 10,00am - 4.00pm.

Collection of works by other parties requires arrangement with the curator prior to Friday 15 September 2023.

Works that are not collected by Saturday 16 September 2023 may be disposed of.

All queries related to artwork collection are to be managed by the curator.

TRANSPORTATION

Artists and designers are responsible for the transportation of their works to and from the gallery.

SECURITY, LIABILITY AND INSURANCE

Artists and designers exhibit at their own risk. Insurance for the submitted works is the artist’s responsibility. The City of Ryde and See Street Gallery, Meadowbank TAFE will exercise reasonable care with all works selected for exhibition but will not be responsible for loss or damage to the work while in their custody, during transit or on exhibition.

SALE OF ARTWORKS

Any sales will be made directly between the artist and the buyer. Sold artworks cannot be removed from the exhibition until after it closes on Friday 15 September 2023. City of Ryde and Meadowbank TAFE do not take any responsibility for facilitating the sale of SWAP artworks.

COPYRIGHT AND PHOTOGRAPHS

Artists and designers own the copyright of their work and licence the City of Ryde to use the submitted images and take photographs of the exhibition that can be used for the exhibition catalogue, publicity, press releases and other promotion in print or on the City of Ryde website for the 2023 and future Sustainable Waste 2 Art Prizes

INTERPRETATION OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS

In the event of a dispute regarding the interpretation of these terms and conditions, the decision of the City of Ryde shall be binding on all parties.

SIGNING OF DECLARATION

In signing the Declaration on the Application Form, the artist/designer acknowledges they have read, understood and accepted all the terms and conditions of this agreement.

More Information

All queries regarding the exhibition and the application process can be made to City of Ryde's SWAP Project Coordinator on 9952 8222.

This program is in partnership with TAFE NSW.