Ella Crocket’s Falling Apart took outright honours in the Invent Your Own Sculpture Competition and her classmates Teea Porter, Nicholas New and Teleah Clarke received highly commended for their works.

“It was a big honour and I was very proud of myself,” Ella said.

The prize was a classroom lesson with artist Mark Swartz who has exhibited sculptures in Australia and overseas.

Swartz spoke to the students last week about his art and showed them how to use bamboo skewers to create boat sculptures.

He is one of numerous artists ­featured at Wollombi’s Sculpture in the Vineyards.

More than 100 primary school students from the Hunter submitted entries to the competition.

The students were encouraged to draw, paint or create a collage of a sculpture in a vineyard landscape on the supplied worksheet.

“The Sculpture In The Vineyards is an outstanding outreach program for young students – so much fun,” class teacher and assistant principal Kerry Ferguson said. 

“The finished boats are proudly displayed in our room for everyone to see.”

Ella explained in her entry that Falling Apart would be moulded from melted crayons in real life.

Greta Public School also benefited from an in-class demonstration from a Vineyards education officer when one of its students finished ­second overall.

Sculpture in the Vineyards is an annual exhibition of large-scale ­outdoor sculptures at the Wollombi village and surrounding vineyards.

The exhibition finishes on Saturday.