A proud milestone for the region, this first-of-its-kind initiative comprised five thematic categories reflecting the essence of Stellenbosch as a destination. Following an overwhelming response of over 90 submissions across three age divisions (7-18, 19-65, and 66+), official winners were announced at the official awards ceremony on 19 June, with each receiving R10,000 in prize money:

Taste 
Culinary culture, food artisans, markets, and local produce 
Amdanda Miti | Coffee Cafe Caffeine | Mixed Medium

Wine 
Vineyards, harvest, cellars, heritage estates, and wine lifestyle 
Sheulyn Raine Hobbs | Sips of Stellenbosch | Mixed Medium

Stay 
Hospitality, architecture, boutique hotels, and guesthouses 
Jared Christopher Delport | Stellenbosch Dutch | Oil Pastels

Experience 
Festivals, cycling, hiking, university life, and the arts 
Judith A Hapgood | Crag and Bone | Acrylic

Community 
The people of Stellenbosch, their diversity, heritage, and shared stories 
Beatrice de Villiers | Church Street | Mixed Medium

Considering the exceptionally high calibre of submissions, the judging panel introduced an additional award to recognise outstanding work:

Judges Award: 
Jade Lubbe | Kuluntu | Acrylic

Art of Origin Stellenbosch submissions closed on Monday, 25 May, with official judging completed on 3 June. Each submission was evaluated independently by a distinguished panel of five judges:

• Ashley Walters, Fine Arts Coordinator at Stellenbosch University’s Visual Arts Department
• Andi Norton, Strategic Management Consultant (Art and Education); Founder of KickstART; Trustee of the Stellenbosch Outdoor Sculpture Trust and Stellenbosch Art Mile
• Jett Jooste (“Theytjie”), Multidisciplinary Artist, Photographer, Filmmaker, Visual Artist and Photography Lecturer at Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography
• Dr Mike Mavura, Visual Arts Curator, Cultural Strategist, Educator and Director of Pamurove Foundation
• Xenia van der Meulen, Destination Marketing Manager at Spier; Art Project and Exhibition Advocate

Following the awards, Annemie Liebenberg, Chief Executive Officer of Visit Stellenbosch, highlighted the transformative power of the initiative on their community: “Beyond the competition itself, Art of Origin has fostered curiosity and connection across the town, encouraging deeper dialogue between residents and visitors from different generations and backgrounds.”

Coert Venter, Chairman of the Art Association Stellenbosch, added: “Art of Origin has achieved what we set out to do: to open the door to every generation and every corner of our community. The diversity and quality of submissions speak to the extraordinary creative heartbeat of this town. Art, at its core, invites us to slow down and look more carefully. To be present in a moment that might otherwise pass us by. This truth sits at the heart of Art of Origin, and at the heart of Stellenbosch itself.”

Liebenberg urges the public to view the exhibition, comprising over 90 artworks, at the PJ Olivier Art Centre until 25 June. “Go experience it for yourself. This is just the beginning of what we hope will become a cherished annual tradition that continues to elevate and celebrate Stellenbosch’s artists,” she concluded.

The winning artworks will feature in the 2027 Visit Stellenbosch Visitors Guide, sharing the essence of Stellenbosch with travellers across the globe and positioning the town as a destination brimming with unexpected firsts and unforgettable moments. For those wishing to acquire any of the exhibited pieces (excluding the winning artworks), please contact the Stellenbosch Art Association at admin@stellenboschkuns.co.za.

Table of Contents

There is a version of Stellenbosch that most people carry in their minds before they arrive. Oak-lined streets. Wine estates. Gourmet restaurants. Perhaps a cheese platter on a sun-drenched stoep.

It’s a beautiful picture, yes, but it tells only part of the story.

The Stellenbosch that reveals itself to those who look a little deeper, who wake early and follow a river instead of a map, is something else entirely. A place of genuine surprise, where the most memorable moments were never on the itinerary.

According to Annemie Liebenberg, CEO of Visit Stellenbosch:

“Stellenbosch has always been extraordinary. What has changed is the invitation. This year, we are moving beyond the highlights reel and asking a more meaningful question: what happens when you stop ticking boxes and start paying attention? The answer, captured in our promise of ‘Unexpected Firsts. Unforgettable Moments,’ is what this town has always quietly offered. Some places you visit. Stellenbosch, you experience.”

Here is what a single day of paying attention might actually look like – just one example of the thousands of incredible, unexpected “firsts” that await…

Sunrise: The Valley That Wakes Before the Town Does

There is a quieter, more intimate side of Stellenbosch that reveals itself in the early hours of the day.

Before the estates open their gates and the coffee shops pull back their shutters, the Dwarsrivier Valley (a stretch of raw, unhurried landscape framed by the Simonsberg mountains and threaded by the Dwars River) is already alive, offering the kind of stillness that makes you aware of your own breathing.

Accessible via the R310, roughly 10 to 20 kilometres from the town centre, the valley draws trail runners and mountain bikers who understand something others are only beginning to discover: that this landscape, at this specific time, is one of the most beautiful places in South Africa.

There are trails of varying lengths for both mountain bikers and runners, winding through rocky singletrack and open farmland with elevation gains that reward the effort with panoramic views across the valley floor. The paths suit a range of fitness levels, and local guides are available for those who prefer company over solitude.

Morning: A Gallery with No Walls

Come mid-morning, after a comforting cuppa and an energising breakfast, you can choose to follow the Eerste River and let it lead you somewhere special.

The Stellenbosch Art Mile is a 1.6-kilometre open-air gallery that runs along the riverbank from the Krige Street pedestrian bridge to the Coetzenburg bridge, crossing six bridges beneath a canopy of trees. It’s free and open around the clock, and it asks nothing of you except that you pay attention.

Various South African artists have placed their work along this route, including interactive metal sculptures and site-specific pieces tied to the river’s geology and history. Recent themes have explored concepts of reflection, time, and the layered human relationship with landscape. QR codes on many of the works connect to the artists directly, but there’s no gift shop and no queue.

For those who want to extend the morning, the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden sits just a short drive away on Paradyskloof Road: seven hectares of indigenous fynbos and mountain views populated by more than 60 bronze sculptures exploring wilderness and the deeper terrain of the human psyche. Visits are by appointment only, which means you’ll never share the encounter with a crowd.

Together, the two experiences form something rare: an art morning that feels genuinely discovered rather than consumed.

Midday: The Table You Were Not Expecting

Forget, for a moment, everything the word “tasting” conjures.

In the Kayamandi township, just minutes from the centre of Stellenbosch, Nocawe Piedtopens her home and her table to visitors in a way that changes what hospitality means in this part of the world. This is the Township & Village home dining experience, and it’s unlike anything else available in the Winelands.

The table is laden with traditional Xhosa dishes, like pap, chakalaka, samp, stew, spinach with potatoes, pumpkin with sweet corn, and chicken feet, alongside amagwinya, the traditional Xhosa beer that has been poured at celebrations here for generations. There’sdancing, drumming, storytelling, and the particular warmth of a community that has chosen to share its culture not as a performance, but as a genuine act of welcome.

It’s the most unexpected lunch in the Winelands. It is also, for many who experience it, the most unforgettable.

Afternoon: A Tasting That Tastes Like South Africa

The conventional wine tasting is not what Vergenoegd Löw had in mind when they created their Indigenous Tasting.

Spekboom. Bokkoms. Roosterkoek. Kaiings. Amasi. Dexter biltong. Kei apple. The Indigenous Tasting draws on ingredients that have sustained communities across southern Africa for centuries. Flavours that most visitors have never encountered and that most tasting rooms would never think to serve. Each element is paired with estate-grown wines that reflect what Vergenoegd Löw calls their “merroir”: the particular character of this specific place andthis specific soil.

It’s a tasting that asks a quiet but significant question: how well do you actually know this land?

The answer, for most visitors, is not as well as they thought. Which is precisely the point.

Sunset: The Street That Becomes a Living Room

As the light turns golden and the oak trees cast long shadows across Drostdy Street, something shifts in Stellenbosch. The energy is contagious and everyone, locals and visitors alike, comes together to laugh, eat, sip, chat, and simply enjoy the moment.

The Stellenbosch Street Soirées, a summertime highlight, are among the most joyful expressions of what this town truly is at its core: a community that genuinely enjoys itself. Wine tokens in hand, visitors graze on street food and find themselves in conversations they never planned to have with people they never expected to meet.

No itinerary leads here, and no booking is required. You simply follow the music and let the evening unfold.

It is the perfect final note for a day that began in a misty valley and moved through river art, a township kitchen, and an indigenous wine pairing. A day that looked nothing like the Stellenbosch most visitors would imagine, and everything like the one they will spend years trying to describe to people who were not there.

Stellenbosch is only 40 minutes from Cape Town, or a scenic 25-minute helicopter transfer away, placing you within easy reach of your next unforgettable moment. For more information on experiences, visit www.visitstellenbosch.org

Table of Contents

STELLENBOSCH, SOUTH AFRICA – Stellenbosch has launched Art of Origin Stellenbosch, a town-wide art competition and exhibition bringing together every generation and creative community in the region for the very first time. Organised by Visit Stellenbosch in partnership with the Art Association Stellenbosch, the initiative is open to all: primary and high school learners, university students, emerging and established artists, township collectives, community groups, and creatives from the town’s senior living communities. Submissions are accepted across all mediums and across three age divisions: 7 to 18, 19 to 65, and 66 and above.

Winning artworks will be featured in the 2027 Visit Stellenbosch Visitors Guide, distributed to over one million prospective visitors worldwide, giving Stellenbosch’s artists international exposure on a scale rarely accessible to emerging or community-based creatives. Five thematic category winners will each receive R10,000 in prize money, with one artwork selected for the front cover of the guide. Submitted works will be exhibited at the PJ Olivier Art Centre, and the official opening and winners’ celebration will take place on 4 June 2026, followed by a public exhibition running from 4 to 25 June 2026.

“Stellenbosch has always been a creative town. But Art of Origin is something we have never done before, an open invitation to every artist, school, community collective, and resident of our senior living communities in our town to tell its story in their own voice. More than an art competition, this is a cultural movement,” said Annemie Liebenberg, CEO of Visit Stellenbosch

“This is a moment that belongs to every artist in Stellenbosch, not just the established ones,” agreed Mr Coert Venter, Chairman of the Art Association Stellenbosch. “Art of Origin is the first initiative of its kind in this town, one that genuinely opens the door to every generation and community. We’re bringing our community together by inviting a child from a Stellenbosch school, a township artist, and a painter from a senior home to all hang their work in the same exhibition.  That is the Stellenbosch we want the world to see.”

A Creative First for Stellenbosch

Art of Origin Stellenbosch is one of the most tangible expressions of Visit Stellenbosch’s new destination-wide brand positioning, Unexpected Firsts. Unforgettable Moments, and forms part of this expansive initiative celebrating innovation and milestone moments across the town. While rooted in this broader vision, Art of Origin stands as a distinctive cultural initiative in its own right, designed to leave a permanent creative and tourism legacy for Stellenbosch and the artists who call it home.

Artists are invited to submit original works across five thematic categories that reflect the heart of Stellenbosch:

• Taste: Culinary culture, food artisans, markets, and local produce
• Wine: Vineyards, harvest, cellars, heritage estates, and wine lifestyle
• Stay: Hospitality, architecture, boutique hotels, and guesthouses
• Experience: Festivals, cycling, hiking, university life, and the arts
• Community: The people of Stellenbosch and their diversity, heritage, and shared stories

Artists may enter across more than one theme, with each submission judged independently. All mediums are welcome, including painting, drawing, mixed media, digital art, and collage.

Important Dates

• Judging Session: Wednesday, 3 June 2026 | 14:00 – 18:00
• Location: PJ Olivier Art Centre, 3 Blom Road, Stellenbosch
• Soft Opening (First Thursdays): Thursday, 4 June 2026 | 17:00 – 20:00
• Exhibition Dates: 4 June – 25 June 2026 (Open to the public)
• Awards Evening (Winners Announced): Thursday, 18 June 2026

For submission guidelines, entry forms, and further information, contact: admin@stellenboschkuns.co.za or 079 084 6183