School Participation
Every year, South Australian schools and pre-schools register exhibitions of student artwork to be part of SALA Festival.
Participating in the SALA Festival fosters creativity, school pride, and community engagement. It offers schools the opportunity to connect with the vibrant visual arts scene and allow students to exhibit alongside over 10,000 South Australian artists.
How to participate
Every year, South Australian schools and kindergartens participate in the SALA Festival by holding exhibitions of student artwork.
These can be as small or as large as you like, featuring anywhere from a small number of students, to the whole school! There are many different ways that this can be approached – check out the 2020 image gallery for inspiration.
To be a part of SALA Festival, you need to:
- Submit a registration form for your school using the online form. Registrations will be open from 1 March – 14 May, 2025.
- Plan your exhibition. It needs to be open to the public for at least one day in August to be eligible to be a part of SALA Festival. For more details on planning your exhibition, view the 2025 SALA School Participation Resource here.
- Exhibit your students’ work and they will join over 10,000 South Australian artists exhibiting during SALA Festival.
Registration Fees
Thanks to the generous sponsorship of I-Nex, all registration fees for school participation in the SALA Festival are fully covered, so there are no fees for schools to participate.
Eligibility
Please note, you must be a government-regulated education provider to be eligible for the schools subsidy.
Join the SALA Festival mailing list to receive reminders of approaching deadlines.
2025 School Participation Resource
For a more detailed guide on how to participate as a school, view the SALA 2025 Participation Resource here.
Other ways students can be involved in sala
Incorporate SA artists into the curriculum
Throughout the month of August, South Australian visual artists will exhibit their works across the state in a range of traditional and unconventional venues. The SALA Program will be released in July both in print and online, and contains all registered exhibitions. Use the map feature in the online program or the free SALA App to see which exhibitions will be nearby or plan an excursion.
Every year we celebrate an established South Australian artist on our poster, making them a great artist to include in classroom learning (more information about the SALA Feature Artist). We also keep an archive of our past Feature Artists, including past Educator Resources (which support teachers in exploring the work of SALA Feature Artists and suggest ways to engage with artworks encountered on excursion).
Resources for educators
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Credit Union SA School Awards
Established in 2019, the School Awards aimed to encourage South Australian schools to participate in the annual SALA Festival in August and recognise different strengths and creativity in presenting student artwork to the community.
WINNERS
Berri Regional Secondary College
Berri Brushtrokes was an excellent SALA Festival debut with a variety of artwork on show, different modes of display, and the painting demonstrations by students on opening night were a fantastic touch.
Valley View Secondary School
It was fantastic to see students involved at all stages of putting on the exhibition Yellow and Blue and being hands-on for the installation process. A variety of artwork styles were presented, allowing individuality to shine through the work. Another excellent SALA Festival debut.
Woodcroft College
Science in Art – Invisible Worlds was a comprehensive and interactive on-campus exhibition that encompassed a breadth of styles and involved thinking beyond the execution of artwork to audience interaction. Congratulations to all students involved on the invisible worlds discovered – real, imagined, microscopic or otherwise!
Woodville Gardens Primary School
The diverse and skilful outcomes in Art on Show at Armada Arndale were impressive – even when responding to common subject matter there was such variety and individuality in how students responded. Congratulations on a well-received exhibition and great use of a local space.
COMMENDATIONS
Christies Beach Primary School
The seasonal theme in Seasonal Scenes made for a cohesive exhibition with a breadth of engagement across year levels, and fostering student pride in an outcome with an impact more than the sum of its parts.
Urrbrae Agricultural High School
Art at Urrbrae Agricultural High School Barn Market was a fantastic display of high quality artwork, and the channelling of established artists in the elevating of ordinary scenes on campus was a highlight.
WINNERS (& judges’ comments):
Christies Beach Primary School
Coastal Connections not only gave primacy to students’ learning and rationale behind their work, but was presented in an engaging installation in the school library that cohesively tied all of the work together.
Littlehampton Primary School
Touched by Nature featured an incredible range of media in a thoughtful installation in the Littlehampton Peace Memorial Hall. A fantastic SALA debut.
Nuriootpa High School
Hidden Creatures of the Barossa brought highly-considered sculptural works (creatures) to a number of shopfronts in the Barossa. A great way to bring student work to the community in an engaging way.
St Aloysius College
Signs of the Times utilised a small space to present big themes by using the format of the postcard as a way for students to be heard on current issues. An impressive emphasis on student voice and tackling big ideas.
COMMENDATIONS (& judges’ comments):
Pinnacle College
Diverse and United presented an engaging online exhibition of very polished and authentically diverse work.
Riverland Special School
Tales of Textiles proved how creativity can be bolstered by a restraint – focusing on the medium of textiles encouraged a myriad of creative ideas. The domestic object installations with textile intervention were a particular highlight.
WINNERS
Adelaide High School – Adelaide High School SALA Exhibition 2020
Faith Lutheran College – Feels to Frames – Faith Lutheran College Year 6 Artists
St John’s Grammar School – Ã la carte
Wirreanda Secondary School – Classic Blue
COMMENDATIONS
Nuriootpa High School – Nuriootpa High School Senior SALA Exhibition
Walkerville Primary School – Walk the Terrace with Walkerville Primary School
WINNERS
St John’s Grammar
Conversations with Line
Riverland Special School
Sensory Stars
The Heights School
The Heights School Art Exhibition Competition
St Gabriel’s School
Gabriel’s Gallery
COMMENDATIONS
Bridgewater Primary School
The Earth Beneath Our Feet
Woodside Primary School
We All Smile in the Same Language
Bowden Brompton Community School
Kill the Streets
Primary School Award:
Joint Winners: Woodside Primary – Plastic Oceans
St Brigid’s School – Identity Explorers
Runner Up: Elizabeth Grove Primary School – Square-eyed
Secondary School Award:
Winner: South Coast collective of schools including
Encounter Lutheran College, Investigator
College and Victor Harbor High School
– SALA School Art Show
Joint Runner Up: Bowden Brompton Community School
– Work Hard Dream Big
St John’s Grammar School
– Current Practice
