A photograph of a solitary figure in a Snowy Valleys forest will take Murrumbateman’s Stephen Harrison to Sydney to join the professional photography team at the renowned Sculpture by the Sea exhibition at Bondi.

Stephen won the 2026 Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail Winter Photo Competition with his image of Contemplation, by Icelandic sculptor Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir, on the Alpine Ash Walk in Bago State Forest.

For Stephen, spotting the mysterious, solitary figure among the forest’s ancient trees was one of those great moments walking a trail in nature and noticing something off the track.

“It can be scary and comforting at the same time,” he said.

He said he valued sculpture’s stillness, silence and presence.

“Yet stopping and listening, you realise the sculpture is the only quiet thing: a multitude of bird sounds are all around.”

The figure’s placement also invited questions about why it was there and why its arms were folded.

“You contemplate it, which just happens to be the title of this enigmatic figure,” Stephen said.

“The piece is a wonderful blend of nature and humanity.”

Stephen’s response echoes the artist’s own thinking about the work.

Thórarinsdóttir says Contemplation is based on her son but is deliberately androgynous, capturing a pause just before or after something happens.

She describes the figure as being in silent conversation with its surroundings, echoing the forest’s colour, texture and mood, and reflecting her belief that humans are part of nature.

Competition judge David Handley, the Sculpture by the Sea’s founding CEO and artistic director, said Stephen’s photograph stood out for the way it captured Contemplation within the forest landscape.

He said the sculpture looked at home among the trees, with the composition drawing the viewer along the path towards the figure.

“It’s a beautiful example of how photography can capture not only a sculpture, but its relationship with the environment around it,” he said.

Despite visiting the trail only a few weeks earlier, Handley said the photograph made him eager to return.

The Alpine Ash Walk is reached through Pilot Hill Arboretum, near Batlow. Together, the walk and a site at Laurel Hill form the Sculpture Forest, which opened in Bago State Forest in April 2024.

The forest collection is part of the broader Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail, established by Sculpture by the Sea in consultation with local communities, in response to the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires to support the region’s recovery and attract visitors.

The 150-kilometre permanent outdoor collection now features more than 60 sculptures by artists from 17 countries across 14 locations, including Tumut, Adelong, Batlow, Tumbarumba, Talbingo and Tooma, as well as vineyards in the Tumbarumba wine region.

Now in its third year, the winter photography competition invites entrants to capture the relationships between the artworks and their surroundings.

It’s open to everyone, from visitors using smartphones to experienced photographers.

Stephen’s prize includes two nights’ accommodation at Bondi for the opening weekend of Sculpture by the Sea’s 30th-anniversary celebrations.

He will also spend a paid day behind the camera alongside the exhibition’s professional photography team.

His winning image will be published by About Regional and Region Riverina and featured in the Head On Photo Festival Foundation’s online magazine.

Running from 16 October to 2 November, Sculpture by the Sea transforms the two-kilometre Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk into an outdoor gallery, with around 100 sculptures by Australian and international artists displayed against the Pacific Ocean.

Original Article published by Edwina Mason on About Regional.