# List of New Zealand art awards

A list of New Zealand art awards and residencies.

## Current awards

| Award | Established | Frequency | Awarded by | Notes |
| Adam Portraiture Award | 2002 | Biennial | The New Zealand Portrait Gallery with the Adam Foundation | National prize for painted portraiture. $20,000 for winner, $2,500 for runner up. Winning entry goes to the New Zealand Portrait Gallery for their collection. |
| Fieldays No. 8 Wire National Art Award | | | New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays | A national competition where entrants create a sculptural art piece out of No.8 wire. The award has a total prize pool of $10,000. |
| Glaister Ennor Graduate Art Awards | 2006 | Annual | Sanderson Contemporary Art Gallery | Auckland art schools nominate their top honours and masters students for an exhibition at Sanderson Contemporary Art Gallery, where a winner is selected. |
| Governor-General's Award | ? | Periodic | New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts | Awarded to an artist who is a member of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, and who has made a significant contribution to the arts in New Zealand over an extended period of time. |
| Hibiscus and Bays Art Award | 2012? | Annual? | Mairangi Arts Centre | The purpose of the awards exhibition is to celebrate and foster artistic and creative practices in New Zealand. Submissions are open to all New Zealand residents and open to all artforms and mediums, including photography. Exhibitors will be selected by a panel of respected arts professionals, and winners will be awarded with monetary prizes as well as a group exhibition the following year at Mairangi Arts Centre. |
| Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award | 2021 | Biennial | New Zealand Portrait Gallery in partnership with the Office of the Kīngitanga | $20,000 for winner, $2,500 for runner up. Named for Kiingi Tuheitia. Awarded to artists for portraiture of their Māori ancestors (tūpuna). |
| Lysaght Watt Trust Art Award | 2013 | Annual | Lysaght Watt Trust | A different theme is selected annually. |
| Molly Morpeth Canaday Art Award | 1986 | Annual | Arts Whakatāne and Whakatāne Museum and Arts | Presented by Arts Whakatāne and exhibition partner Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi - Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre, this annual non-acquisitive award is dedicated to excellence across all art forms within contemporary fine art practice in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Prize pool of over $25,000. |
| National Contemporary Art Award | 2000 | Annual | Waikato Society of Arts from 2000 - 2006. then Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato from 2007 onward | The National Contemporary Art Award was initiated and administered by the Waikato Society of Arts (WSA). Except the inaugural award, the exhibition has always been held at either Artspost and or Waikato Museum. In 2006, the award had grown to the extent that the WSA decided it would be more feasible for the administration of the award to be continued by Waikato Museum. Formerly known as Trust Waikato National Contemporary Art Award and Bold Horizon National Contemporary Art Award, the award is now known as the National Contemporary Art Award. Trust Waikato were sponsors until 2009. 2020 was the very first year that the award has ever been cancelled. The cancellation was due to global COVID-19 pandemic lockdown which meant that the award was not able to proceed in time. The 2020 judge was to be Karl Chitham, Director of the Dowse Art Museum, Wellington. Chitham will now be the 2021 art award judge. |
| National Drawing Award | 2004, 2006, 2009 | | | New Zealand's leading independent contemporary art spaces, ARTSPACE, Auckland and The Physics Room, Christchurch and Enjoy Public Art Gallery, Wellington. |
| National Youth Art Award | 2009 | Annual | Waikato Society of Arts | Open to entries from all New Zealand artists aged 15–25. Prize pool of $6000. |
| New Zealand Painting and Printing Art Award | 2000 | Annual | Waikato Society of Arts | The $15,000 prize is donated to the Waikato Society of Arts by the Philip Vela Family Trust, who in addition, purchase the winning work. |
| North Shore City Art Award | | | | The competition is for a two dimensional work relating to the coastline, coastal settlement, flora, fauna, the sea, marine life, or maritime activity. (may have become the Hibiscus and Bays Art Award). |
| Parkin Drawing Prize | 2013 | Annual | Chris Parkin | A national award and an annual exhibition, held at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. Prize of $20,000. |
| Pat Hanly Creativity Awards | 2002 | | Auckland Art Gallery | For secondary school students, as nominated by heads of departments and art teachers. |
| People's Choice Award | | Annual | Christchurch Art Show | |
| Peters Doig Marlborough Art Awards | 2012? | Annual | | Last awarded 2016? |
| Portage Ceramic Awards | 2001 | Annual | Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery | Since the third award onwards the judge has selected a group of finalists for exhibition. An exhibition is held at Te Uru and a publication produced. The award has included residencies on occasion. |
| Rydal Art Prize | 2017 | Biennial | Seeds Trust | A work considered by a jury nominated by Tauranga Art Gallery to have made an important contribution during the year of judging to NZ painting practice. |
| Taranaki National Art Awards | 2001 | Annual | | A national competition offering an opportunity for artists to exhibit and sell their artwork, with a $12,000 prize pool. All entries are displayed in an exhibition at Sandfords Events Centre, which coincides with the Taranaki Rhododendron Festival. |
| Tui McLauchlan Emerging Artist's Award | 2013 | | Tui McLauchlan Art Award Trust | Named for Tui McLauchlan |
| Waiheke Walker and Hall Art Award | | Annual | Waiheke Community Art Gallery | A national award for two dimensional works in any medium, with a prize of $5000 as the Premier award. |
| The Trusts Art, Sculpture and Photography Awards | | | | |
| Wai Art Portrait Awards | | | | |
| Wallace Art Awards | 1992 | Annual | Wallace Arts Trust | Awards for contemporary painting, sculpture, drawing and unique photography to encourage the visual arts in New Zealand. Value of over $275,000. |
| Walters Prize | 2002 | Biennial | Auckland Art Gallery | The $50,000 Walters Prize is awarded for an outstanding contribution to contemporary art in New Zealand. |
| Patillo Arts Review/Whanganui Arts Review | | Annual? | Sarjeant Gallery | Open to any artist, working in any media in the Whanganui region, including Ruapehu and Rangitikei and all areas that link to the Whanganui River. |
| Splash | | Annual | Watercolour New Zealand | Entry is open to all members of Watercolour New Zealand. Open theme. Unclear what the prize is. |

## Residencies

| Residency | Established | Frequency | Awarded by | Notes |
| Frances Hodgkins Fellowship | 1962 | Annual | University of Otago | The residency was created 'to encourage painters and sculptors in the practice and advancement of their art, to associate them with life in the University, and at the same time to foster an interest in the arts within the University.' |
| Olivia Spencer Bower Award | 1987 | Annual | The Olivia Spencer Bower Foundation | To encourage and promote emerging New Zealand artists and sculptors. It was Olivia's specific objective to assist artists and sculptors with talent so they could devote their energies, on a full-time basis for a twelve-month period, to painting and sculpture freed from the necessity to seek outside employment. |
| Portage Ceramic Awards | 2001 | Annual | Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery | Since the third award onwards the judge has selected a group of finalists for exhibition. An exhibition is held at Te Uru and a publication produced. The award has included residencies on occasion. |
| Tylee Cottage Residency | 1966 | Annual | Sarjeant Gallery | Each year, the selected artist works full-time on their work for 2–12 months and resides in Tylee Cottage |

## Past awards

| Award | Established | Dissolved | Frequency | Awarded by | Notes |
| Benson & Hedges Art Awards | 1969 | 1980s | | | Defunct. |
| CoCA Anthony Harper Contemporary Art Award | 2003 | 2009 | Annual | CoCA | No record of winner after 2009 |
| Cranleigh Barton Drawing Award | 1993 | 2003 | Biennial | Christchurch Art Gallery | Recognised excellence in drawing and to raise its status within visual arts education and practice. Last awarded 2003? |
| Kelliher Art Prize | 1956 | 1977 | Annual | | For ‘a realistic natural representation’ of a typical New Zealand landscape; first contested at the Auckland City Gallery in 1956 and was an annual event in the Academy Gallery until 1970. |
| National Bank Art Awards | 1958 | 1980 | | | Now defunct. |
| Visa Gold Art Award | ? | | Annual | | |