15/08/2026
2026 Waste 2 Art Regional Showcase | Award Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 Waste 2 Art Regional Showcase!
Bringing together outstanding works selected from local Waste 2 Art competitions across the NetWaste region, this year’s Regional Showcase celebrates the creativity of artists, students, schools and community members who have transformed discarded and recycled materials into imaginative works of art.
Inspired by the 2026 theme, Shrink Your Footprint, this year’s entries demonstrate the incredible potential of materials that might otherwise be considered waste, while encouraging us to think differently about reuse, recycling and sustainability.
We are delighted to announce the 2026 Regional Showcase Award winners:
Primary School
2D Individual — Dru Martinez, Help - We are Drowning! — DUBBO
2D Class Winner — Spring Hill Public School, Wise Owls — ORANGE
3D Individual — Lola Houghton, Lil Waste Warriors — DUBBO
3D Class Winner — Oberon Public School, Whale of a Time — OBERON
Functional Individual — Zara Withers, Recycled Heart — BROKEN HILL
Functional Class — Spring Hill Public School, Hidden Treasures — ORANGE
Secondary School
2D — AACES (Aboriginal Art Community Education Sistas), Smoky Waste — BROKEN HILL
3D Highly Commended — Tom McKeon, The Rose — COONAMBLE
3D Winner — Eve Napier, Hope Walking — ORANGE
Functional — Carter Fitzpatrick, Pretty Journal — OBERON
Community
2D Highly Commended — Ellen Scott, Wildflowers and Last Days — DUBBO
2D Winner — Sarah Pratt, Salvaged Fibres — BROKEN HILL
3D Equal First — Ella Horsfall, Ouroboros / Refections on Waste — BROKEN HILL
3D Equal First — Caroline Tarr, Against the Tide — DUBBO
Functional Highly Commended — Rebekah Pierce, The Second Best Shirt — ORANGE
Functional — Tamsin Triance, That's Fab-plastic — COWRA
Open
2D Equal First — Kelly Leonard, Wired Waste — BROKEN HILL
2D Equal First — Heather Rendell, Medical Waste - It's Sickening — BATHURST
3D Highly Commended — William English, Emporer Darlek — COWRA
3D Winner — Rhonda Marie, Dare to Dream — COWRA
Functional Highly Commended — Rosanne Standfield, Sunny Day Wear — COONAMBLE
Functional Winner — Pete Hannelly, Ply Another Day — PARKS
Bonus Prize Categories
Herb Clarke Memorial Award — Alison Westcott, Found on my fathers workbench — PARKS
Curators Award — Mia Bucley, Rattlesnake — GILGANDRA
Waste to Wonder Award — Felicity Cavanoguh, Rubbish or Fairy Wren — MID WESTERN
Cutest on Show Award — Sophie Richmond, Flossy the Eco Monkey — ORANGE
Best work made from a Shoe Box — Zig Zag Public School, Riding the wave; Shrinking your footprint — LITHGOW
Textiles Award Highly Commended — Donna Pumpa, Happy Scrappy Quilt — BOGAN
Textiles Award — Ellen Scott, Wildflowers and Last Days — DUBBO
Access Metal Award Equal First — Alison Dent, Stuck in the Strait of Hormuz — ORANGE
Access Metal Award Equal First — Joseph Lynch, Hiding with Surprise — BATHURST
Overall Winner — Chistina McConville, The Noble Bin Chicken — BROKEN HILL (image)
PEOPLES CHOICE (TBA)
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners, finalists and participating communities from across the NetWaste region.
The 2026 Waste 2 Art Regional Showcase is now on display at the Albert Kersten Mining & Minerals Museum (GeoCentre), Broken Hill, until 5 September 2026.
Come along and see the amazing ways waste has been reimagined through art.
