These days, Sculpture by the Sea is billed as the biggest outdoor free sculpture show in the world - but its beginnings 30 years ago were very different.
The first event in 1997 started with a bank account of $100, and was run entirely by volunteers working from the lounge room of founder David Handley.
Three decades later, the 30th-anniversary exhibition opens in Sydney on Friday, with 100 artworks on show along the clifftops of the Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk.
The annual event is expected to attract an audience of about 450,000 people in Sydney, and in March its Perth iteration will be held on Cottesloe Beach.
Still, some things haven't changed, with Sculpture by the Sea contending with funding woes and rising production costs.
In late 2025, the organisation made a last-minute call for $200,000 to ensure the most recent event could go ahead, with donors pitching in and NRMA Insurance becoming a major sponsor.
Exhibitors for its anniversary exhibition include Kaaku-Kaakulinyа: Eternal Sentinels by Barkindji and Malyangapa artist David Doyle.
Doyle, who is based in Broken Hill, received $20,000 as a part of a new program encouraging Indigenous artists to participate in the event.
Sculpture by the Sea runs from Friday until November 2.