Sunshine Coast Wootha Prize

Set in the Queensland Sunshine Coast Hinterland, the Wootha Prize is a national woodworking competition celebrating outstanding artistic excellence in timber. Extending beyond an artisan award, it fosters deeper connections with Australia’s unique environment and Indigenous culture.

WOOTHA PRIZE CATALOGUE

Wootha Prize 2026

The Sunshine Coast Wootha Prize for 2026 is a reimagined version of the Wootha Prize which has been the feature exhibition at the Maleny Wood Expo since 2004. It will continue to be hosted by Barung Landcare in a stunning new venue.

With ongoing commitment from sponsors, the Sunshine Coast Wootha Prize is a truly prestigious national woodworking competition, attracting contemporary designers and innovative craftspeople in the promotion of the sustainable use of our beautiful native timbers.

Winning and finalist pieces are exhibited in the stunning Glass House at Montvale, in the Hinterland town of Montville.

Read more below about the 2026 prize and exhibition below.

2024 Overall Winner – ‘Monochrome Cabinet’ by Rick Hayward, image by Daniel Mulheran

Prize Categories

This year’s 2026 Sunshine Coast Wootha Prize is open themed with finalists aligning with the prize’s ethos “Sustainable by Nature, Beautiful by Design”. Works have been entered are under the categories of Furniture, Sculpture and Tiny Treasures.

William Bayliss
Commemorative Prize
$10,000

From 2026 the Wootha First Prize will be known as the William Bayliss Commemorative Prize. 
The overall first prize winner is selected from any of the categories of Furniture, Sculpture and Tiny Treasures, and is awarded a cash prize of $10,000, as well as their name on Sunshine Coast Wootha Prize perpetual trophy.
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Image: William Bayliss with his Bunyjul occasional table

2026 Winner

Broc Cattley – Beginnings
 
“The jewellery cabinet Beginnings is inspired by natural forms, echoing a seed pod as a symbol of life’s origin. It marks a personal transition toward creating work that fulfils and inspires me. Through crafting functional art, I challenge myself to nurture ideas, embrace process, and bring meaningful, intentional creations to life.”

Pictured: Cam Burton (Barung Landcare), Tim Bayliss, Broc Cattley, Kym Bayliss, Barb Kelly (Barung Landcare)

Furniture
$2,500

The Furniture category rejoices in all aspects of furniture making, traditional and contemporary, design, artistry and innovation.

Proudly sponsored by

MCU Communities

2026 Winner
Ben Adams – Wootha Rocker
 
“The Wootha Rocker is a Windsor style low rocking chair constructed using traditional chair making tools and techniques. Made from Australian native timbers, the legs, rockers and spindles are stained black to highlight the Red Cedar seat. The arms have small Red Cedar leaves carved on the underside.”

Sculpture
$2,500

The Sculpture category will highlight carving to its fullest extent from the delicate to the robust, abstract to representational.

Proudly sponsored by

Hinterland Business Centre Inc

2026 Winner
Hannah Cheetham – I Love You (Everyday)
 
“Toona ciliata (red cedar), wax finish. To create something fluid from something solid. To test the limits of timber. To have a finished piece that can be moved and re-formed into perpetuity. A piece that is a meditation on love, brought together thanks to 30 loving hands, sitting in community to complete over 100 hours of sanding, waxing and buffing.”

Tiny Treasures
$2,500

The ‘Tiny Treasures’ category celebrates works of smaller dimensions. It acknowledges work small in scale but big on design and craftspersonship -beautifully designed and exquisitely crafted.

Proudly sponsored by

Queensland Water and Land Carers

2026 Winner
Xavier Fitzgerald –  Gumleaf Quadrant
 
“This piece was driven by the curved side panel and the complex joinery surrounding it. I also wanted to try to incorporate a marquetry piece into the top panel and showcase some veneering and inlaying techniques. Making the joinery work with the curved components was a real challenge and was quite enjoyable, as was the marquetry, made entirely with shop sawn veneers.”

People's Choice
$500

The entry most voted for by visitors across the entire exhibition.

Proudly sponsored by

Arbortech

2026 Winner
Henry McErlean – Re-Leaf
 
“The Re-Leaf Seat is crafted from salvaged Silver Ash (Flindersia schottiana) and Australian Rosewood (Didymocheton frasieranus). I aimed to bring the natural world and forest into a functional piece, highlighting the organic lines and beauty in the timber. Showcasing how nature and craftsmanship can intersect in an elegant, practical way.”

Wootha Prize Exhibition

Set high in the hinterland, the Glasshouse is a beautifully crafted timber-and-glass space built using reclaimed historic hardwoods — a venue that honours material, craftsmanship, and sustainability at its core. Surrounded by forest and flooded with natural light, it’s the perfect setting to celebrate some of Australia’s finest contemporary woodworking.

Across four days, the space transforms into a breathtaking exhibition showcasing the finalist works of this prestigious national prize. Visitors can experience the pieces up close, meet the makers, and attend engaging artist talks inside this remarkable, sustainable structure.

At the Exhibition

  • World-class contemporary wood art
  • Cast your vote for the People’s Choice Award
  • “On the deck” – casual speakers program from 11am Saturday and Sunday. A series of informal talks about rainforest, habitat and working sustainably with timber
  • Children’s Bird Call Face-Off challenge – Sunday from 11am
  • Native Plant Stall – Barung Landcare
  • Woodfired Pizza and bar open

The Sunshine Coast Wootha Prize is proud to be part of the Montville Timber Trail, a celebration of wood, landscape, and creative practice across Montville, QLD.

MORE ABOUT THE MONTVILLE TIMBER TRAIL

Montvalle at Montville
Images courtesy of the venue

Our Sponsors

Prize Category Sponsors

Major Donors

THE BAYLISS FAMILY

GREEN HILLS FUND

Donors

Evan Dunstone – Jan Townley – Liz Harper – Pru McPherson – Cleon Walters Robert Lewin – Nola Maybury – Paul Ryan – David Heywood – Helen Murray Mat and Anitra Buitendam – Kerrie MacDonald – Margaret Yarrow – Kylie Yarrow – Diana Brown – Sally Coyle – Peter Thompson – Fred Blake Richard Vaughan – Ben Adams – Barbara Kelly – Nicole and Joel Dooley Vaidehi Rajagopalan – Karen O’Neill – Corrie Wright

Donate

Read the latest Wootha Prize News

2024 Sunshine Coast Wootha Prize Winner - Rick Hayward

Hear about Rick’s creative background and prize-winning piece ‘Monochrome Cabinet’

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2024 Sculpture Winner Kieth Savage shares some inspiration...

Read more about Keith’s journey into woodworking and a little behind his award-winning piece ‘Flow’ below.

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2023 Furniture Winner Garan Hale says 'Give it a go'...

From the Northern Rivers in NSW, Garan tells us a little more about his journey into woodworking.

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