Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe has today announced Tim Storrier AM as the recipient of the $5,000 EY People’s Choice Award for his sculpture ‘Emperor of the Abrolhos’.
‘Emperor of the Abrolhos’, is a pelican from the Abrolhos Islands, located off the coast of Geraldton. With a stainless-steel mirror-finish, the sculpture captures and reflects the Western Australian light and the surrounding coastal environment, creating a living artwork that changes throughout the day.
Storrier said, “The Emperor of the Abrolhos is a trophy to celebrate the ridiculous beauty of one of nature’s heroic guardians. After picking up his laundry his Lordship thanks visitors to the exhibition and would also like to thank EY for adding to his coffers.”
Tim Storrier AM is an Archibald Prize-winning painter and sculptor. His work is represented in significant public collections across the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Louvre, Paris; The Tate, London, National Gallery of Australia and Art Gallery of NSW.
This is the first time Storrier has exhibited in Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe. Today, he was awarded the $5,000 EY People’s Choice Award by Fiona Drummond, EY Office Managing Partner for the Western Region. In admiration of, ‘Emperor of the Abrolhos’, Fiona Drummond described it as a true work of art, interactive, detailed, lifelike, and clearly a stand-out piece for the residents of Perth and visitors from across Australia and overseas.
Fiona Drummond said, “This year, the significant role of the arts in our society and community has been particularly evident, as tens of thousands of people have come to support both local and international artists at Cottesloe Beach. EY Australia takes great pride in supporting this extraordinary event for the past decade.”
The $2,000 Kids’ Choice Prize was awarded to Drew McDonald for his sculpture titled ‘SOMA’. The Kids’ Choice Award is voted by children who visit the exhibition with the prize money donated by Rebel Penfold-Russell OAM, Ian Low, Emrys Quin and Jasper Penfold-Low.
Drew McDonald is an emerging artist from Ocean Shores, New South Wales. His work is often absurd yet through-provoking amalgamations of everyday iconography, aiming to both amuse and unsettle.
McDonald said, “Kids are the future artists, engineers, scientists, tradies, medical professionals, future cultural voices and decision-makers. So, to have them choose my sculpture ‘SOMA’ as their favourite… that’s a huge compliment. It means a lot. I would have loved to be there in person today to accept this award, but I’m just about to fly to Berlin for an artist residency which feels like a fitting continuation of the journey that exhibiting in Sculpture by the Sea has started. Thank you all again. I really appreciate all of you and this award!”
David Handley, Founding CEO and Artistic Director of Sculpture by the Sea, said, “Thank you to the people of Perth for welcoming back Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe. It has been a great three weeks of relaxed fun with hundreds of thousands of visitors enjoying the sculptures, sand, sea and sunsets made possible by the funding from the Albanese Labor government through Austrade and the WA State government through Tourism WA and Lotterywest.”.
Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe returned to Perth on 6 March after a hiatus in 2025. The exhibition finishes on Monday with over 230,000 visitors from across Perth, WA, interstate and overseas enjoying the 70 sculptures on Perth’s most famous beach, with artists from eight countries exhibiting.
