Unexpected Surprises

My boyfriend and I returned from Costa Rica a week ago. Before we left I was frantically trying to fill out forms for art awards and exhibitions that would be due while we were away. I was working two jobs so all the work for the entries was being done when I got home at 2am or on my lunch breaks; just getting the applications sent in was an achievement in itself. The day we got back I checked the mail and found a letter informing me I had been shortlisted for an exhibition at the McClelland Gallery!
I was really proud with the work I had submitted (the box with the topographic landscape inside, from my last entry here and a map of my home town) but didn't expect to be considered as a finalist. I am a first year fine art student and really just need the practice putting together applications and writing artist statements. It's a nice feeling knowing that those few days of running around with little sleep actually paid off.

I've attached the other piece that will be in the exhibition, it's a map of my home town, Tumut.