Reimagine Waste into Art – From Trash to Treasure
Waste 2 Art is an annual community art competition and exhibition, held across regional NSW Councils and organised by NetWaste. This inspiring event showcases art, creative works, and functional objects crafted from reused waste materials. The goal is to challenge perceptions of ‘rubbish’ while celebrating sustainability through arts and crafts.
We have a dedicated Facebook Page you can join to get news and share ideas with the community.
Broken Hill Waste 2 Art Program
This event is proudly organised by the Broken Hill Art Exchange and Lifeline Broken Hill, with generous support from Broken Hill City Council’s Community Assistance Grants program.
It takes a community to organise an art competition and exhibition and we are very grateful for all the support.
Prizes are sponsored by local businesses including: Broken Hill Bank, My Maid Cleaning, Headspace Broken Hill, Broken Hill Physiotherapy, The Shed, Willy Nilly Art, First National Real Estate Broken Hill, Danns of Broken Hill, Steeline, Harvey Norman, Hill FM & 2BH. We also thank the GeoCentre, 2DryFM, ABC Broken Hill & Broken Hill Times for your ongoing support.
2025 Theme: TOYS
This year's theme—Toys—is broad and open to interpretation. Participants can create art from broken toys, craft playful objects from waste, upcycle discarded playthings, or explore other imaginative approaches.
For inspiration, check out the NetWaste video and start rethinking how waste can be transformed into something fun and meaningful.
You can create and enter artworks from any manmade waste material.
Calling All Metal Artisans!
We’re particularly excited to encourage local metal artisans to enter the competition. Broken Hill boasts a talented community of craftspeople creating incredible art and sculptures from waste metal, and we’d love to see more of these works featured in this year’s exhibition!
Rules
Netwaste have implemented a new rule that no new items can be used in creations. Previously entries have often included craft supplies, purchased frames etc. but this year the entire creation must be created from waste.
Entries should not exceed a size of 1 cubic meter or a weight of 10kgs to be displayed in the exhibition. The artist can supply a framed hi-resolution A3 print if its too large.
Maximum two entries per artists.
Community Workshops
The Art Exchange will host free artist-run workshops to inspire the community along with crafternoons for artists to drop in and work on their art together.
Competition Details & Important Dates
· Registration: Open now till 4th May
· Artwork Delivery: Saturday 31st May @ GeoCentre & Sunday 1st June at the Tip Shop
· Exhibitions Open to Public: 2nd June – 14th June Tipshop 2nd June - 21st June GeoCentre
· Winners Announced (Judges and Peoples Choice): Event Saturday 14th June
· Regional Exhibition Details: Local winning artworks couriered to Dubbo on 11th or 12th September
Competition Categories & Prizes
🏆 Preschool (New category just for Broken Hill with no regional equivalent): 2D or 3D ($50 1st Place, $50 Peoples Choice)
🏆 Primary School 2D ($200 1st Place, $100 People’s Choice)
🏆 Primary School 3D ($200 1st Place, $100 People’s Choice)
🏆 Secondary School 2D ($200 1st Place, $100 People’s Choice)
🏆 Secondary School 3D ($200 1st Place, $100 People’s Choice)
🏆 Community 2D ($200 1st Place, $100 People’s Choice)
🏆 Community 3D ($200 1st Place, $100 People’s Choice)
🏆 Professional Artists ($200 1st Place, $100 People’s Choice)
Bonus Prizes
🏆 Overall Prize – Best Artwork for the Theme of Toys ($200)
🏆 Overall Prize – Best Artwork in Metal ($200)
🏆 Overall Prize – Best Artwork Group Entry (2 or more artists $200)
Any questions? Contact us at our dedicated Waste2Art email
Join us in turning waste into art and creativity into impact! ✨♻️
registration form
Waste 2 Art 2025 Year of the TOYS.
Join local artists to learn skills to turn waste into art.
Inspired by the DADA Art Movement - cardboard toys and collages: Saturday 5th April, 11-1pm at the Art Exchange, 313 Argent Street.
Join Clark Barrett for a two-hour workshop for inspirational ideas on creating using waste.
Clark will share the story of the Dada art movement - which pioneered 'found object art' in 1920 as a rebellion against 'serious art' and the establishment powers that allowed WWI to happen.
Then participants will create a collage or simple cardboard toy inspired by the information covered earlier in the session.
Participants can bring old magazines and cardboard - we will supply materials too.
About Clark:
Retired high school art teacher, outback artist, and photographer. Clark’s life and art have been positively influenced by his many decades of teaching creative young high school students and talented adult artists.
Clark has been travelling remote outback roads for decades. After first arriving in Broken Hill, a sense of curiosity and wonder led Clark to begin travelling the region’s dirt roads, sometimes travelling as far as 300kms. Fascinated by “the laser bright intensity of the outback sunlight and the way it makes colour vibrate”, Clark has spent the past 40 years taking inspiration from remote outback landscapes to create his renowned artworks. Travelling through stations and sleeping in shearers’ quarters, Clark would often knock on the doors of isolated homesteads hoping to meet the people who lived in this fascinating land. This curiosity led him to meet and befriend many unique outback characters, amass an enviable collection of experiences and stories, and gain valuable insight into life in the ‘bush’.
Clark’s on site artworks seek to capture the colourful glory of nature’s morning and evening light. ‘The rotation of the earth makes my day!’ The large studio works and 3D constructions communicate Clark’s spiritual link to the landscape and its unique history.
Free for Registered Entrants Waste 2 Art
Limited Numbers - Workshop Registration Essential