Broken Hill will welcome outstanding recycled artworks from across regional NSW this week as the 2026 Waste 2 Art Regional Showcase opens at the Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum (GeoCentre).
Running from 11 August to 5 September 2026, the Regional Showcase brings together winning works from Waste 2 Art competitions held by participating councils across the NetWaste region, celebrating creativity, sustainability and the innovative transformation of waste materials into art.
Broken Hill is proud to host this year's Regional Showcase and Finals, with the Official Opening and Awards Presentation to be held on Saturday 15 August, from 10.30am for an 11am start. The event will include the announcement of the 2026 regional award winners, recognising outstanding works from across the region.
Waste 2 Art is a community art exhibition and competition that challenges participants to transform waste and recycled materials into creative and thought-provoking artworks. Local competitions are held across participating council areas, with winning works progressing to the annual Regional Showcase and Finals.
This year's theme, Shrink Your Footprint, encourages students, artists and community groups across the NetWaste region to consider the impact of waste in everyday life and how the choices we make can help reduce our environmental footprint.
Across 17 participating councils, entrants have transformed unwanted and discarded materials into creative works of art, demonstrating how materials that may otherwise be considered waste can be reimagined and given a valuable second life.
This year's Shrink Your Footprint theme also introduced an additional creative chalenge, with works progressing to the Regional Showcase required to be able to fit inside a standard shoebox for transport. The restriction encouraged participants to think inventively about scale, construction and the creative reuse of materials.
The Regional Showcase features works across Primary School, Secondary School, Community and Open categories, spanning 2D, 3D and functional artworks. An Annual Theme Award will also recognise the work that best responds to Shrink Your Footprint.
A series of bonus prizes will recognise creative approaches to materials that can be difficult to recycle, including soft plastics, textiles, toys, problematic packaging and non-recyclable stationery. Each bonus category carries an additional $500 prize.
Waste 2 Art is supported by Access Metal Recycling, which sponsors the Regional Showcase's Scrap Metal Awards. This year, the Scrap Metal category includes a major $1,500 prize and three $500 'mini metal' awards.
Waste 2 Art is an initiative of NetWaste, a voluntary regional waste group working colaboratively with councils across regional NSW to improve waste and resource management. Through education and community engagement programs such as Waste 2 Art, NetWaste encourages communities to reconsider the value of everyday materials and the role we can all play in reducing waste.
The community is invited to attend the 2026 Waste 2 Art Regional Showcase Official Opening and Awards Presentation on Saturday 15 August 2026, at the Albert Kersten Mining and Minerals Museum (GeoCentre), Corner Crystal and Bromide Streets, Broken Hill.
The event begins at 10.30am for an 11am start and is free, with everyone welcome.
The 2026 Waste 2 Art Regional Showcase is on display at the GeoCentre from 10 August to 5 September 2026.
