Waste 2 Art
Waste 2 Art is a FREE waste inspired art competition and exhibition that celebrates the reuse and recycling of waste. There’s a category for every member of the community, and each year there is a waste theme to guide your creations. The focus of Waste 2 Art is to challenge the way we look at waste.
2026 WASTE THEME: SHRINK YOUR FOOTPRINT
The Waste 2 Art Competition and Exhibition is back for 2026, and this year we are inviting our community to take on an exciting challenge: Shrink Your Footprint.
Why “Shrink Your Footprint”?
Every year, humanity generates over 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste. Imagine this: if packed into shipping containers and placed end-to-end, that waste would circle the Earth 25 times – or stretch farther than the journey to the moon and back (UNEP, 2024).
Our waste footprint is growing - and it's a global challenge. Every individual contributes to this issue through purchasing decisions, daily habits, and how waste is managed at home. Every purchase, every habit, every choice we make adds to a growing footprint that fuels climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
This reality calls for urgent action to scale up efforts to prevent waste generation; to extend adequate safe and affordable waste management and to ensure that all unavoidable waste is managed safely. But here’s the good news – you have the power to change this. Refuse what you don’t need, reduce what you use, reuse whenever possible, and recycle responsibly. Every conscious choice brings us closer to a cleaner, healthier planet.
Your Challenge
This year, we want you to think small – literally!
- All artwork must fit into a shoebox. This is a mandatory condition and reflects the theme of reducing impact and thinking creatively within limits.
- Artwork must be made entirely from recyclable or reused materials. This ensures that your creation not only inspires but also demonstrates practical ways to give waste a second life.
We know, through the great works of art the Bathurst community has created over the years, that you are up for this challenge.
The Waste 2 Art competition welcomes schools, community groups and individuals to get involved and turn their rubbish into art.
There are several categories for primary and secondary school students as well as community members and professional artists in the Open category. These include two dimensional, three dimensional, and functional artworks. Students can also make their art at home and then select primary or secondary when entering.
A huge congratulations to all the participants in this year's Waste 2 Art Local Exhibition. Your creativity, innovation, and commitment to sustainability have once again shown how waste materials can be transformed into powerful works of art.
2026 BATHURST WASTE 2 ART WINNERS
| CATEGORY |
PRIZE |
ARTIST/SCHOOL |
ARTWORK NAME |
| Preschool - 2D |
Winner |
Scallywags Long Day Care & Preschool |
Wambuul to Wahluu |
| Preschool - 2D |
Highly Commended |
Kelso Children Centre |
Four Seasons in Bathurst |
| Preschool - 3D |
Winner |
Kelso Children Centre |
From Waste to Wonder |
| Preschool - 3D |
Highly Commended |
Goodstart Early Learning Kelso |
A Tale of Two Oceans |
| Preschool - 3D |
Highly Commended |
Elizabeth Chifley Presbyterian Preschool |
Our Shrink-it Trinket Box |
| Primary School - 2D |
Winner |
Class 5M, Eglinton Public School |
It Starts and Ends with Us |
| Primary School - 3D |
Winner |
Kelso Public School Waste to Art Group |
Steps to a harmonious future |
| Primary School - 3D |
Highly Commended |
K-6 Students, Trunkey Public School |
Let the Flowers Grow |
| Primary School - Functional |
Winner |
Jodie-Marie Milton, O'Connell Public School |
Takeaway Twirl |
| Primary School - Functional |
Highly Commended |
Aria Jones, St. Philomena's School |
Light & Water |
| Secondary/High School - 2D |
Winner |
Jullanar Eyassu, Skillset Senior College |
Outer Space Mural |
| Secondary/High School - 3D |
Winner |
Phoebe Whitehead, MacKillop College |
Converted Converse - A patchwork pair |
| Secondary/High School - 3D |
Highly Commended |
Claire Mcpherson, Skillset Senior College |
Pocket Rubbish |
| Community - 3D |
Winner |
Glenray |
Glittery Glorious Glenray Choir |
| Community - 3D |
Winner |
Terri Lewis |
Wizard of Oz |
| Community - 3D |
Highly Commended |
Miranda Gott |
Dislexia Nightmares |
| Community - 3D |
Highly Commended |
Maragaret Hammond |
Red Belly Black Snake |
| Community - Functional |
Winner |
Rani Alliband |
Mend and Make Do! |
| Community - Functional |
Highly Commended |
Rani Alliband |
Reimagining treasures from Nana's Linen Cupboard |
| Open - 2D |
Winner |
Heather Rendell |
Medical Waste - It's Sickening |
| Open - 2D |
Highly Commended |
Jane Patterson |
Art to Waste 2 Art |
| Open - 3D |
Winner |
Heather Rendell |
12 Days of EGGcessive Christmas Waste |
| Open - 3D |
Highly Commended |
Shani Nottingham |
Plasticloud |
| Open - Functional |
Winner |
Shani Nottingham |
Future Heirlooms (White Edition) |
| Open - Functional |
Highly Commended |
Shani Nottingham |
Three |
|
Metal Prize
|
Winner |
Joseph Lynch |
Hiding with surprise |
|
People's Choice Award
|
|
Heather Rendell |
Medical Waste - It's Sickening |
REGIONAL SHOWCASE:
The winners of each category will now progress to the 2026 Waste 2 Art Regional Exhibition, taking place this August in Broken Hill.
Official Opening and Announcement of Winners - Saturday, 15 August 2026
Exhibition will run from 10 August to 05 September, at the Albert Kersten Mining and Mineral Museum (Geo Centre), Broken Hill NSW 2880.
Waste 2 Art Educational Resources
Bring creativity and sustainability into your classroom with the Waste 2 Art Learning Program. This comprehensive educator resource provides step‑by‑step lesson plans, worksheets, and syllabus links to help schools inspire students to rethink waste, explore environmental issues, and create meaningful artworks using reused and recycled materials.
Start planning your Waste 2 Art journey today by downloading the Waste 2 Art Learning Program HERE(PDF, 12MB)
Resources from Previous Years:
Further Enquiries:
Contact Number: 02 6333 6575
Email: waste2art@bathurst.nsw.gov.
Waste 2 Art is more than an art competition – it's a movement. By turning discarded items into creative masterpieces, you show that waste doesn’t have to be wasted. Start planning your shoebox-sized artwork today! Think about how you can use recyclable materials to create something unique and meaningful. Together, we can shrink our footprints and inspire others to do the same.