The world's largest annual free-to-the-public outdoor sculpture exhibition, Sculpture by the Sea, is proud to announce the largest sculpture prize in NSW, the Balnaves Foundation Sculpture Prize of $60,000 which will be awarded to the best sculpture in this year's exhibition.

Now in its thirteenth year, Sculpture by the Sea will transform the magnificent 2km Bondi to Tamarama Coastal Walk from 29 October to 15 November this year, with the winner of the Balnaves Foundation Sculpture Prize announced at the Media Launch held on the opening day of the exhibition, Thursday 29 October, 2009 at 11am in Marks Park, Bondi.

"Sculpture by the Sea is so unique and enjoyed by so many people that I thought why not create a collection of the best works from the exhibition for everyone to enjoy all year round," says Neil Balnaves, Founder of the Balnaves Foundation.

The $60,000 prize is the most generous sculpture prize offered in NSW and will be the major prize for Sculpture by the Sea for the next ten years. The Balnaves Foundation wants to find a suitable public space in which to install the collection of award winning works over the next 10 years, as a home to the best sculptures from the Bondi show.

Sculpture by the Sea Founding Director David Handley says the location of the award winning sculptures will be determined once interested Councils or organisations express their interest. "We are excited about the generosity of the Balnaves Foundation which will make a real difference to the life and career of the winning sculptor each year, while establishing a permanent sculpture collection for the public to enjoy."

Handley added, "in what has been and continues to be a very challenging year financially for our organisation establishing the Balnaves Foundation Sculpture Prize is a real bright spot as we continue to search for the remaining funds required to stage the exhibition."

The Balnaves Foundation has supported the Bondi exhibition since 1998, the second year of the show, growing their support each year. As Handley stresses, "without the support of our private donors the exhibition would not have made it past 1999 and they are crucial to keeping us afloat each year."

Interested Councils or organisations who want to put up their hand to become the home for the Balnaves Foundation Sculpture Collection are asked to nominate potential sites for the collection to be enjoyed by the Australian public all year round. Sculpture by the Sea will be available to assist in facilitating additional sculptures for the collection to make it even more substantial.

"We are putting a call out to interested councils around Australia who would like to provide their local community with ten of the best sculptures the country has on offer over the next ten years - it really will be a gift to their community," says Handley.

Interested councils and organizations can apply to be a home for the sculptures via the website www.sculpturebythesea.com. The prize winning sculpture will be acquired and gifted by the Balnaves Foundation, so the Council or organisation which is chosen to become the home to the collection is only required to pay for the transport and installation of the sculptures. The application deadline is 30 November, 2009.

Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi will draw an estimated 500,000 visitors to view over 110 sculptures from artists from across Australia and the world including New Zealand, United Kingdom, Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark, USA, Canada, Argentina, Japan, and Iran. The sculptures are selected from some 500 entries received from around the world.

Sculpture by the Sea is a trans-national series of exhibitions with a sister exhibition held on Cottesloe Beach in Western Australia in March each year transforming Perth's most popular beach into a stunning sculpture park overlooking the Indian Ocean. Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe will be held from 4 to 23 March, 2010.

Editor's Note:
The Balnaves Foundation is a private philanthropic organisation established in 2006 by Neil Balnaves to provide philanthropic support to charitable enterprises across Australia. Dispersing over $2 million annually, the Foundation supports eligible organisations that aim to create a better Australia through education, medicine and the arts with a focus on young people, the disadvantaged, and Indigenous communities.