The world's largest annual free-to-the-public outdoor sculpture exhibition, Sculpture by the Sea, is currently on show until the 15^th of November along a 2 kilometer stretch of the Australian coastline.

Now in its 13^th edition and with over 100 sculptures on show, the exhibition has grown significantly into an 18-day event from its first one-day showing in 1997. The 2009 exhibition also saw the inaugural awarding of the Balnaves Foundation Sculpture Prize.

Valued at $60,000, the acquisitive award, which will be made each year for 10 years, will see the awarded work going on permanent public display. "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.

It was whilst traversing the Tamarama Coastal Walk between Sydney’s Bondi and Bronte beaches that the instigator of the event, David Handley, saw “natural plinth after natural plinth”. He had been inspired to create a major free-to-the-public arts event after visiting an outdoor sculpture park in Klatovy, Northern Bohemia in 1995. And now every year this Sydney coastal walk is transformed into an art gallery by the sea that attracts half a million visitors annually.

On the other side of the country in Western Australia a companion exhibition is held in the Perth suburb of Cottesloe each March with the Indian Ocean and its magnificent sun sets as a back drop.

More information about Australia’s Sculpture by the Sea exhibitions can be found at their web site, here.