Learn Portuguese (Portugal): A escultura foi aceite para a nova exposição. - The sculpture was accepted for the new exhibition.

The verb aceitar has two past participles: the regular aceitado and the irregular aceite. Because this sentence uses the passive voice with the auxiliary verb ser (foi), we must use the irregular short form aceite. We only use aceitado with the auxiliary verbs ter or haver (like in tinha aceitado).

Since escultura is feminine, shouldn't it be aceita?

In European Portuguese, the irregular past participle of aceitar is aceite. It is the same for both masculine and feminine nouns, so we say o convite foi aceite and a escultura foi aceite. It only changes for the plural (aceites). You might see aceita in Brazilian Portuguese, but in Portugal, stick to aceite.

Why does nova come before exposição?

Most adjectives come after the noun in Portuguese, but some common ones like novo, velho, bom, and mau frequently come before it. When novo is placed before the noun, it generally means new to the situation or the latest available, which fits an upcoming exhibition perfectly.