2021 National Contemporary Art Award

Each year the National Contemporary Art Award brings the best in Aotearoa contemporary art to the Waikato. Entries are drawn from across the country and from New Zealand artists living overseas.

The overall winner will receive $20,000 from co-sponsors Tompkins Wake and Chow:Hill Architects. The Hugo Charitable Trust Award of $5000 will go to the runner-up, while two merit award winners will receive $1000 each, supported by Random Art Group and Friends of Waikato Museum.

Dowse Art Museum Director Karl Chitham (Ngaa Puhi, Te Uriroroi) will select this year’s finalists and prize winners. He is an experienced judge, with recent credits including the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards and the selection panel for the New Zealand Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

Well-known in art circles around New Zealand, Chitham has held curatorial roles at Tauranga Art Gallery Toi Tauranga, Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa and Objectspace.

The National Contemporary Art Award was launched in 2000 by the Waikato Society of Arts and has been managed by Waikato Museum since 2006.

Important Dates:
Entries for the Award open on Thursday 18 March
Entries close at 1pm on Wednesday 2 June
Winners will be announced on 27 August at the gala opening of the exhibition
Exhibition opens from 28 August and runs until 28 November (free entry)