The Contemporary Wearables Biennial Jewellery Award and Exhibition (staged since 1988) attracts entries from prominent and emerging jewellers from Australia and New Zealand to show their work in Toowoomba and, as part of a possible touring exhibition, other Australian galleries.

The award recognises and promotes innovation in design and use of materials in the creation of jewellery. The award exhibition brings together a diverse range of jewellery exploring the wide range of techniques, materials and creative concepts utilised and developed by jewellery artists from Australia and New Zealand.

This year's award has in excess of $16,000.00 available for prize money and acquisitions. The Toowoomba Gallery Society Inc. generously provide the prize money while acquisitions for the Toowoomba City Collection are funded by Toowoomba Regional Council.

The Toowoomba Gallery Society Inc. have also generously organised an additional $5000.00 of prize money in support of the event this year with ‘The Mathias Richards People’s Choice Award’. 

This year’s award exhibition was juried by Historian and artist-jeweller, Dr Dorothy Erickson and Assistant Curator, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Melanie Pitkin. Forty-eight jewellers from Australia and New Zealand were selected. 

Contemporary Jeweller and former Head of BA(Jewellery) at Charles Sturt University, Sabine Pagan, will be the award judge for 2015. 

Award winners and acquisitions will be announced at the official opening and awards ceremony on Sunday 20 September 2015 at 2pm (1.30pm start.) All welcome.

Galleries interested in hosting the touring component of Contemporary Wearables '15 please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more details.

Events also of interest: 

Awards Ceremony - Contemporary Wearables ’15 Biennial Jewellery Award 

Mathias Richards People’s Choice Awards

Image credits: 2013 AWARD WINNER / Claire McARDLE / The Emu 2013 / leather & polystyrene / 14 x 17 x 30cm / Toowoomba City Collection 1874 / Reproduced by kind permission