acquisitive prize

Congratulations to Sam Gold who has announced as the WINNER of the Wollongong Art Prize 2025!

Judged by Dr Kristen Sharp, Gold's winning work explores care, fluidity, and resilient storytelling. The large-scale hand-built stoneware sculpture, finished with enamel, uses coiling and layering to resist fixed edges, carrying collective stories and asserting presence.

Wollongong Art Prize is an acquisitive national prize, open to all Australian artists. Now reimagined for a new generation, the competition invites submissions from artists working across all mediums. With a strong emphasis on accessibility, inclusivity, and community engagement, the prize seeks to showcase the breadth and vitality of contemporary art practice.

The finalist works will be on display at Wollongong Art Gallery from today until Sunday 1 March 2026.

Once again we congratulate Sam and all the other finalists!

Sam Gold, Lungs swollen with warmth from the mouths of exploding stars, 2024-25, stoneware and enamel, 150 x 190 x 18 cm. Photography by Connor Patterson