The 2025 Wild HeART Student Art Prize Finalists' Exhibition Trail is now open!

From 6th December 2025 to 6th February 2026, the 22 finalists are being celebrated in a larger-than-life outdoor gallery at Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden. Explore the trail for free, between 7am - 6pm daily.

Have you visited and wish to cast your vote? The People's Choice submission is available here.

Congratulations to all the children and young people who entered in 2025. The standard of artworks was incredible, the diversity of species selected and mediums used were inspiring, and each artists' statement was an honour for the selection panel to read.

Introducing the 2025 finalists:

Under 8 years

Eliza	Noosa Everglades	Great cormorant, koala and broad-leaved Melaleuca
Ruth	The Willie Wagtail and the Sparkly Moon	Willie wagtail
Anouka	My Bandicoot	Bandicoot
Bailee	A Crown of Colour	Pink cockatoo and Brittle Eucalyptus
Mikayla	Runaway Echidna	Short-beaked echidna

Under 13 years

Aimee	Richmond birdwing butterfly	Richmond birdwing butterfly
Sophie	Curious	Boobook owl
Ronen	The King of All Quails	King quail
Mia	Fairy Wren Symphony	Superb fairy wren
Alyssa	The Dingo Chase	Dingo and Centralian tree frog
Josie	Free Spirit	Whale shark and stingray
Henry	Mother and Son Bond	Bar-tailed godwit
Sonam	In Memory of Orchid	Spiny leaf stick insect
Gabe	Mountain View Display	Paradise riflebird
John	Frilled in Fire	Frill-necked lizard

Under 18 years

Emma	Mirrored Life	Richmond birdwing butterfly
Angelica	Galah	Galah
Natasha	Masses	Blue warehou
Keahi	Mother Plover	Masked lapwing
Kaiya	Kaiya's Dragonfly	Dragonfly
Luka	My Wallaby	Wallaby
Serenity	Water mouse	Water mouse

About Wild HeART:

Established in 2022, the Wild HeART Student Art Prize was borne as a community partnership initiative between the Sunshine Coast Council, Queensland Wildlife Artists Society Inc., Friends of Maroochy Bushland Botanic Garden and the Friends of Mary Cairncross Association. Previously, the finalists have been publicly showcased in an exhibition inside the Arts and Ecology Centre. In 2024, Wild HeART finalists were celebrated in an outdoor gallery trail throughout the summer holidays. An estimated 8000 people came to see the children's artwork and read about the species they had chosen. Entrants from eligible locations (Sunshine Coast and neighbouring Local Government Areas) expressed their love of place and native animals, plants or fungi - from Golden Beach to North Queensland, Central Australia to Tasmania, Mt Ninderry to Maleny.

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