Inside Out is about taking what’s inside and turning it into art that will live outside.

Young artists: design a sculpture or mural, and your artwork could go on display alongside professional artists’ work!

We received 393 entries in 2024. How many will we get this year?

Winning entries will be produced by SCAPE and exhibited during the next SCAPE Public Art Season, 8 November 2025 to 1 February 2026.

Submit your design, responding to SCAPE’s Season 2025 curatorial theme The Limits of Language.

Two categories: sculpture and mural.

Anyone aged 5-18 years old in Waitaha Canterbury can enter.

Entries close on 22 August 2025.

Read on for details about:

• what you need to submit
• how you can submit
• timeframes
• the theme
• resources for teachers
• asking questions + getting us to visit your school

Scroll all the way down to get the online submission form!

What you need to submit

Your name, year group, school, and contact details.

Plus the Selection Panel want to see:

• Images: show your ideas through sketches, drawings, photographs, computer aided design or a combination; and
• A Written Statement: between 50-250 words, that outlines your idea and design and tells us how it relates to the theme.

Sculpture

Submit your design in response to this year’s theme The Limits of Language. If you win, your sculpture will be up to three metres. You should design your sculpture to go on a plinth, be suspended from a tree, or rest on the ground.

Mural

Submit your design in response to this year’s theme The Limits of Language. If you win, your final mural will be 2.4m x 1.2m, and the paint will be from the Resene colour palette.

How to submit

You will find submission forms at your school or any Christchurch City library. You can also use the entry form at the bottom of this webpage.

Get your completed form to us by 22 August 2025. To submit, you can:

• Upload your entry online using the form at the bottom of this webpage
• Email to sarah@scapepublicart.org.nz.
• Post to Sarah Ackerley, Education Manager, SCAPE Public Art, 301 Montreal St, Christchurch 8013.
• Hand to us at Level 1, 301 Montreal St (up the stairs next to the Locky Dock), Tuesdays to Fridays 10am to 5pm.
• Get your teacher to gather up all the class submissions and contact Sarah to collect them.

Timeframes for 2025

Submit by: 22 August

Winners notified: September

Production: September-October

Public opening: 6 November

Theme for 2025

The theme for SCAPE Public Art Season 2025 is The Limits of Language. Entries in the Inside Out Aspiring Artists Competition for 2025 must respond to this theme.

Language is a special way that people communicate with each other. It can be spoken, signed or written. In Aotearoa New Zealand there are two unique languages: Te Reo Māori and NZ Sign Language. Language helps us share our ideas, express our thoughts and feelings, tell stories, ask questions, and understand others. We use language to learn new things and connect with people. Language is amazing but it has limits.

Here are some things to think about when designing your sculpture or mural:

Can we communicate without using words?

We share our thoughts and feelings with words. But there are thousands of different languages around the world. Sometimes, when people meet and speak different languages, they might not understand each other. Sometimes you might have complex thoughts and feelings that you can’t find words to describe. What are we saying when we smile, wave, or give someone a hug? Do actions speak louder than words?

Can we trust words?

Politicians and other leaders use language to share their ideas and convince people their ideas are good ones. Politicians choose their words carefully. Sometimes they give confusing explanations on purpose to avoid answering questions or to make it hard for people to understand what’s really going on. Does saying something make it true?

Language evolution

Language is not always each to understand. Words can have more than one meaning or different meanings in different situations or contexts. For example, in English ‘novel’ can mean both a book or something new, and in Te Reo Māori ‘whenua’ means both land and placenta. Language can also change over generations and time. Awful meant ‘full of awe’ but now means ‘very bad’. Also words that were popular years ago may not be used today, and new words are being created all the time! The rise of social media and online culture has seen slang words and abbreviations such as ‘skibidi’ and ‘IRL’ become part of everyday communication.

One treaty: two texts

Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi) is the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand, and agreement signed in 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and over 40 Māori chiefs. Legally, there is only one treaty but there are two texts: te Tiriti (the Māori version) and the Treaty (the English version). The Māori version is not a translation of the English. There has been much debate over the differences – how they came to be, what they mean, and how they guide political and legal decision making today. Sometimes we need to look beyond words and understand the cultural, social and historical context that shapes their meaning, to bridge the gaps that language alone cannot fill.

History and memory

Language is also important for recording historical events. It helps us share stories, preserve memories and learn from the past. However, words we use can influence how history is interpreted and remembered. How does the way we describe history change how people understand it?

Mātauranga Māori

Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) has been passed down over generations mostly through oral traditions such as whakapapa (genealogies), pūrākau (narratives/stories), waiata (songs), kapahaka and whakataukī (proverbs). However, it isn’t just language that is used to preserve and celebrate Māori history, culture and values, Toi Māori (Māori art) such as raranga (weaving), whakairo (carving) and tā moko (tattoo) have deep meaning and tell their own complex stories without any need for words.

A picture is worth a thousand words

Art can help people express themselves when they can’t find the right words. It can give a voice to those who can’t speak up. It lets people share their feelings, ideas and experiences without saying anything at all. No matter what culture you are from or what language you speak, you can create or engage with art. It is a universal language, offering connection and understanding.

What begins when words end?

Resources for Teachers

Entry form for students to complete in class: Inside Out 2025 Submission Form

Powerpoint presentation for use in class: Inside Out 2025 Powerpoint

PDF of competition details for your own use or to display in classroom: Inside Out 2025 Competition details

Contact us

Teachers can book a free visit from SCAPE to help students understand and respond to the theme. If you want her to visit your school, or you have any questions, contact Sarah on 027 359 6489 or sarah@scapepublicart.org.nz