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About Castaways Sculpture Awards

The City’s iconic Castaways Sculpture Awards returns this spring, taking over the Rockingham Foreshore from Saturday 25 October to Sunday 2 November 2025.    

Castaways is an annual outdoor sculptural exhibition showcasing artworks created from repurposed materials at the Rockingham Foreshore.

Castaways started in 2008 as a community arts project to raise awareness around the discarded items or ‘castaways’ washing up on local beaches and has continued to expand and evolve. Today, Castaways provides an important opportunity for emerging and professional Western Australian artists, schools and local businesses to be a part of a regionally-recognised arts program that continues to promote sustainable values.

Castaways Sculpture Awards consists of three exhibitions, with a prize pool of $27,250 (non-acquisitive):

Kelly Robbins, 'Pin Cushion Protea', 2024, street sweeper brushes, fan blades, steel tubing. Image credit: courtesy the artist. Kelly Robbins, 'Pin Cushion Protea', 2024, street sweeper brushes, fan blades, steel tubing. Image credit: courtesy the artist.

Main Exhibition 

The Main Exhibition showcases outdoor sculptures set against the backdrop of the Rockingham Foreshore.

Western Australian artists are invited to enter their sculpture for selection.

Sculptures must use recycled and repurposed materials, and must include a 30% visible aluminium component to be eligible for the Major Award. 

Kelly Robbins, Pin Cushion Protea, 2024, street sweeper brushes, fan blades, steel tubing. Image credit: courtesy the artist.

Liliana Stafford, 'Bird House', 2024, recycled glass, sea glass, wire, pebbles, stones, driftwood. Image credit: courtesy the artist. Liliana Stafford, 'Bird House', 2024, recycled glass, sea glass, wire, pebbles, stones, driftwood. Image credit: courtesy the artist.

Maquette and Small Sculpture Exhibition

The Maquette and Small Sculpture Exhibition celebrates the intricacy of small-scale three-dimensional artworks.

Emerging and professional artists are invited to create indoor sculptures using recycled and repurposed materials.

The Maquette and Small Sculpture Exhibition is held at the Rockingham Arts Centre, just a short stroll from Rockingham Foreshore.

Liliana Stafford, Bird House, 2024, recycled glass, sea glass, wire, pebbles, stones, driftwood. Image credit: courtesy the artist.

Settlers Primary School, 'Where to From Here?', 2024, tin cans, plastic bottles, chicken wire. Image credit: courtesy the artist. Settlers Primary School, 'Where to From Here?', 2024, tin cans, plastic bottles, chicken wire. Image credit: courtesy the artist.

Schools Exhibition

Primary and secondary schools are invited to design and create a sculpture from recycled or repurposed materials for public exhibition alongside emerging and professional artists. A number of benefits have been reported by teachers, including student collaboration, belonging to a community event, and the pursuit of knowledge and new skills.

Castaways aims to introduce to young people how values and important messages can be effectively promoted through engaging channels – important for future community leaders. The Castaways Schools Exhibition is displayed on the Rockingham Foreshore in Churchill Park, alongside the Main Exhibition.

Settlers Primary School, Where to From Here?, 2024, tin cans, plastic bottles, chicken wire. Image credit: courtesy the artist.​

Castaways Team

  • Castaways Curator Lyn Di Ciero wearing glasses and a black shirt.Lyn Di Ciero

    The 2025 Castaways Curator, Lyn Di Ciero, is a visual arts writer, curator and filmmaker who established the Artist’s Chronicle in 1991, the longest-running independent visual arts magazine in Western Australia’s history. Di Ciero is also a former Visual Arts Feature Writer for The West Australian newspaper (2010-2016). She was the Australian manager for the School of Colour in the 1990s, which included operating distance education across Australia, and has documented several art collections, including the City of Belmont, the City of Rockingham Town of Mosman Park and Perth Airport.

    She has curated the City of Rockingham Castaways Sculpture Awards since its inception, and the annual Soroptimist International of Fremantle Help the Homeless Act Auction, which raises funds for critical services for the homeless and at-risk homeless in the community. From 2020 to 2022, she was the curator of the Mandorla Art Award, Australia’s most significant thematic Christian art prize.

    Since 2013, she has explored filmmaking as another form of storytelling in the visual arts, with her filmography including commissions from the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the City of Rockingham and St John of God Health Care.

  • Schools are provided guidance with their sculptures from the 2025 Castaways Schools Facilitators.

     

    Jacq Chorlton.Jacq Chorlton (Funkydory)

    Jacq creates award-winning wearable art, recycled materials sculpture, painting, ceramics, community art and more. She has been a participant in Castaways on nine occasions, winning three awards.

     

     

     

     

    Rachel Lemon.Rachael Lemon 

    Rachael is an award-winning artist who has been selected for Castaways and the Rockingham Art Prize. Her community art projects include art classes and workshops for all ages and assisting the Baldivis Brumby Girl Guides, students from St Munchin’s Primary School and Ridge View Secondary College’s art club. In 2023, she led school guided tours at Castaways.

  • Following the close of entries, the independent selection panel will meet to select finalists from the submitted artworks.

    Stay tuned for the announcement of the 2025 panellists.

  • Once the finalists' sculptures have been installed for the exhibition, the independent judges will select the winning artworks for each award category.  

    Stay tuned for the announcement of the 2025 judges.

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