The format has been updated to comply with COVD-safe guidelines, the opening event will still be held on the weekend of October 10-11, with the exhibition then extended for the following two weeks, closing on the October 25, to ensure the number of visitors on site at any one time meets the public health requirements.

This year's event will also be ticketed, with tickets available online - sculpturesinthegarden.com.au - which need to be purchased prior to entry.

Submissions for artworks closed at the end of August and organisers are impressed with the standard of entries to mark a decade of the event.

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And with a lot of exhibiting artists hailing from Victoria, their work will be couriered to Mudgee so that they'll be able to partake in this year's event, even if the artists themselves won't be able to be there.

The exhibition will again have a dedicated SIG for Kids section with the theme this year being, 'Time to Party' - something that couldn't be more relevant after the drought, fires and now COVID-19, that has affected those across Australia.

Once again gate entry fees and the catering at the event will be raising funds for the NSW/ACT branch of Guide Dogs Australia, a partnership that has raised $160,000 over the past 10 years.

The total prize value for 2020 is over $50,000, with the addition of the three new acquisitive prizes to be permanently displayed at the new Hospital [see below].

The major acquisition prizes will be showcased as part of the Mid-Western Regional Council's public art collection and displayed within the Lawson Park Sculpture Walk. SIG has contributed over 20 acquisitive works to the Sculpture Walk, which is visited and enjoyed year-round by both locals and visitors to the region and acts as a legacy of the event and what it has achieved for arts in the Central West.

Sculptures in the Garden 2020 sees three new acquisition prizes - totaling over $12,000 - all of which will become public art pieces and be displayed permanently in the grounds of the new Mudgee Hospital.

They are; the $5,000 Artistic Merit Acquisition Prize, donated by Kate and Andrew Bucannan; the $2,500 Artistic Merit Prize for Small Sculpture, donated Simon and Susie Bennett; and the $5,000 Emerging Artist Acquisition Prize, open to artists who are in the first five years of their professional practice, after the July Council meeting when the Mayoral minute approved $5,000 from financial assistance.

Kay Norton-Knight, co-founder and curator of SIG, said, "the new hospital is a major drawcard for the region, and with the inclusion of these small sculpture prizes on site, we hope to bring the enjoyment of art to those who are in the hospital".

"We are so thrilled to announce three new acquisition prizes at Sculptures in the Garden this year, making it our largest prize pool ever at just over $50,000," she said.

"With the three new acquisitive prizes to be displayed in the new Mudgee hospital, we are so pleased that our contribution of art for public enjoyment will be extended this year and displayed in a new setting that is additional to the public works already in existence."

John Bentley, chair of the Mudgee Health Council, said the group too are "thrilled" with the addition of the prizes which will lead to the pieces being added to the new building's courtyards.

"It's a wonderful relationship between a major venture from the community in terms of Sculptures in the Garden wanting to be involved in the Hospital and leave a lasting legacy," he said.