2019 National Contemporary Art Award

The National Contemporary Art Award brings the best in New Zealand contemporary art to Hamilton and the Waikato. Entries are drawn from across the country and New Zealand citizens living overseas.

The overall winner will receive $25,000 from major sponsors Tompkins Wake and Chow:Hill. The Hugo Charitable Trust sponsors the Hugo Award for the Runner-Up, with the recipient receiving $5,000, and two merit award winners will receive $1,000 sponsored by Friends of Waikato Museum and Random Art Group.

Every year a new judge is chosen with the credibility to select the finalists and the ultimate winner. Through elimination, it is the judge who curates the award, shaping the final exhibition as well as choosing a winner, runner-up and merit award winners.

The finalists are selected by viewing photos or videos of the works and artists’ statements on a digital judging platform, with the entrants’ identities kept confidential. The winning works are then decided in situ at Waikato Museum.

The award was initiated in 2000 by the Waikato Society of Arts. It has always been held at Waikato Museum, which has managed the award since 2006. Trust Waikato sponsored the award for the first 10 years, with Tompkins Wake and Chow:Hill co-sponsoring the award since 2015 (Tompkins Wake was also a co-sponsor in 2014). Past winners include Dane Mitchell, Sriwhana Spong, Ann Shelton, Joanna Chow, and Kim Pieters.

Key dates:
Entry closes: 1pm, Wednesday 8 May 2019
Finalists notified: Week of 20 May 2019
Exhibition: Saturday 3 August to Sunday 10 November 2019