By Melissa Blewitt

The 2025 Lachlan Shire Local Waste 2 Art competition winners have been announced.
This year’s Sims Metal Waste 2 Art theme Year of Toys captured everyone’s imagination, with some very creative artworks entered.
The overall winner of Lachlan Shire WASTE 2 ART Year of Toys competition was Tracey Forbes’ amazing entry – Trash Tractor. She also won the Community Functional category with the same entry.
Other winners were:
Preschool: Condobolin Early Learning Centre Wombat Room– Rabbit Bean Bag Toss
•Primary 3D: Indi Forbes – Waste to Robot
•High School 3D: Carl Meran and William Nash – Sword, Shield and Crown
•High School Functional: Hollie Miles – Climb to the Top
•Community Functional: Tracey Forbes – Trash Tractor
•Open 3D: Hayley Egan – From Joy to Junk
Highly Commended:
•Preschool: Wombat Room Condobolin Early Learning Centre – Chinese Lucky Dragon
•Primary 3D: Kobi Fyfe – Little Toys, Big Dreams
•High School 3D: Rose Collins – Mumma Bear with her Cub
•High School Functional: Hayley Small – Clock
“By encouraging the repurposing of waste materials, WASTE 2 ART challenges traditional perceptions about rubbish. These wonderful works of art show that recycling and repurposing can go beyond our existing ideas of what waste is and how it can be reused,” Lachlan Shire Mayor, Councillor John Medcalf OAM, said.
“I extend my warmest congratulations to all participants in the competition, especially those whose talent and flair for innovation have resulted in a category win. We wish them luck in the regional
finals.”
The SIMS METAL – WASTE 2 ART competition represents a creative and innovative approach to the reduction and reuse of waste in Lachlan Shire Council.
The competition challenges perceptions about ‘rubbish’ and celebrates the reuse and recycling of waste through arts and crafts.
All winners will now progress to the 2025 SIMS METAL – WASTE 2 ART Regional Showcase where they will be judged against other winners from across the region. This year it will be held in Dubbo at the Western Plains Cultural Centre from 20 September to 2 November 2025.