Last Chance to See 2025 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize Winners

Published on 25 September 2025

Glad that you are not here all the time - an urn for unwanted limbs and other things, By: Virginia Leonard, Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize Winner. Photo by: Jacquie Manning

Winner of the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize Viewers' Choice Award

The votes are in! The 2025 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize Viewers' Choice winner is Christian Bonett with DENZI.

Upon winning the Prize, Christian said:

"I’m thrilled. This sculpture of Denzi meant so much to me and to Denzi’s owner, Justine, so knowing it resonated with so many visitors is incredibly meaningful. It’s a lovely tribute to an amazing dog who touched so many lives.

Thanks to all those who voted.

The winning artist has won a non-acquisitive award of $1,000. Congratulations!

Photo: Jacquie Manning

Virginia Leonard is the winner of the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize

Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf has announced the winners of the 2025 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, Australia’s most prestigious award for small-scale sculpture.

Founded by Woollahra Council and now in its 24th year, the Prize continues to celebrate dynamic and innovative approaches to contemporary sculpture, with this year’s winners highlighting the transformative potential of materials and form. The announcement coincides with the opening of the exhibition of finalist works, now on display until 16 November 2025.

Prize Winners

Glad that you are not here all the time - an urn for unwanted limbs and other thing, By Virginia Leonard, with judges (left - right) Sanné Mestrom, Megan Monte and Justin Paton

Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize 2025, $25,000

Awarded to Auckland-based artist Virginia Leonard for Glad that you are not here all the time - an urn for unwanted limbs and other things, crafted from clay, pure gold and resin. An internationally recognised ceramicist represented by leading galleries in Aotearoa, Australia, the USA and Switzerland, Leonard’s work is held in major public and private collections worldwide. Her winning sculpture channels personal frustrations into a layered form, combining glazed ceramics with resin casting to explore the tensions between opacity and transparency.

On winning the Prize, Virginia Leonard said, "I am super grateful and honoured to win the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, and to be showing alongside some incredible works. It is such a massive feeling to be acknowledged with this new body of work, as I pour and cast resin in my garage late into the night hoping that what I see and feel, other people will as well."

Torque, By: Thomas Mason - Special Commendation Award Winner,  Photo by: Jacquie Manning

Special Commendation Award, $2,000

Awarded to Paddington-based artist Thomas Mason for Torque, an assemblage of stoneware, glaze, construction adhesive, epoxy putty and cornice cement. A Sydney ceramic artist with a Master of Fine Art (Research) from UNSW, Mason has exhibited widely across Australia including solo shows at KUDOS Gallery and GAFFA Gallery. His prize-winning work draws on the physics of wave motion and the embodied mechanics of making, with twisted forms reflecting the energy and resistance of clay in process.

Rack, By: Alicia Cox  - Mayor's Choice Award Winner

Mayor’s Choice Award, $1,000

Selected by Mayor of Woollahra Sarah Dixson, the award went to emerging ceramic artist Alicia Cox for Rack. Through casts of her own body, Cox’s work explores the intersections of domesticity, gender and the body as a vessel. Using mould-making techniques, she reconfigures herself into tableware to examine ideas of function, decoration and objectification. Cox is an emerging artist working and living on unceded Ngambri and Ngunnawal land. She recently graduated with First Class Honours from the Australian National University School of Art & Design.

Mayor of Woollahra Sarah Dixson said, "Rack shows objectification in a very real, practical way and makes a comment on the role of women in the home. It's both familiar and challenging, and also quite fun. It's a great example of why the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize is so fantastic - it gives emerging artists like Alicia Cox the chance to be in the same room as better-known names in the art scene, and her work absolutely holds its own."

The Judges

The 2025 judging panel comprised Sanné Mestrom, Artist and Academic and winner of the 2017 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize; Justin Paton, Head Curator of International Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales; and Megan Monte, inaugural Director of Ngununggula, Southern Highlands Regional Gallery.

Gallery Director, Sep Pourbozorgi, said, "These works are powerful examples of the Prize’s focus - how small scale can hold immense conceptual weight. Virginia’s work is both raw and refined, deeply personal yet universally relatable, while Thomas’s piece captures the physical energy of making in an extraordinary sculptural language."

Public Programs

Across the exhibition period, the Gallery will present a vibrant and inclusive program designed to engage families, art lovers, artists, and audiences with diverse access needs. Highlights include hands-on sculpture and creative workshops with exhibiting artists, tailored for both children and adults, as well as regular guided tours - led by Gallery staff, curators, and finalists - offering unique insights into the works on display. Dedicated programs will cater to neurodivergent audiences, while industry-focused sessions explore pathways from small-scale practice to public art. Offsite events and artist talks will further extend the exhibition’s reach into the community.

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