Laureate Award

Toi Kō Iriiri Queer Arts Award
Made possible thanks to the radical generosity of philanthropist and recently appointed Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Trustee Hall Cannon, who has committed to backing this award for the next 10 years with a $300,000 gift. The award (of $30,000 per year) will be gifted annually to an outstanding queer artist whose mahi is representative of the queer community and is making a contribution to social change. Learn more here.

Jillian Friedlander Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa Award
Established in partnership with Jillian Friedlander, this $30,000 gift acknowledges outstanding Māori and Pasifika creatives within the arts. Having been involved with the arts, behind the scenes for 25 years, Jillian saw a great need and potential to create Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa Award. Anchoring the support for our creatives in the Māori and Pasifika communities of Aotearoa entwines her own lineal descendant of Ngāi Tahu.

My ART Visual Arts Award
My ART is a not-for-profit organisation that makes it easier to own original art through most New Zealand galleries by providing interest-free loans. This $30,000 award was established in 2020, in partnership with My ART Founders Sonja and Glenn Hawkins. The award is presented every year to an outstanding visual artist.

Liz Aitken, Foggy Valley Aotearoa Female Arts Practitioner Award
First established in partnership with Theresa Gattung, this $30,000 gift to an artist is one of many ways Liz Aitken and Rob Morgan give back to women and girls through business and philanthropy. At the time of enabling this award, 66% of the Laureates within the Arts Foundation whānau were men, making it a timely marker in gender equity.

Burr/Tatham Trust Award
Adrian Burr and his late partner Peter Tatham are some of the most remarkable and well-known arts philanthropists in Aotearoa. This award, which was established in 2019, will recognise and reward an outstanding artist of any discipline.

Joanna Hickman, Waiwetu Trust Award
Joanna Hickman, together with her husband Kevin, are among New Zealand's greatest philanthropists across a wide variety of causes. This award was established in 2024 to recognise and thank an artist of any discipline for their excellence and contribution to Aotearoa New Zealand.
 

Awarded every second year.

Dame Gaylene Preston Documentary Film Makers Award
Initiated by Dame Gaylene Preston and Sir Roy McKenzie, this award is funded through a collaboration of a legacy gift by Sir Roy, Vista Foundation and the NZ Film Commission, and selection is facilitated by the NZ International Film Festival. The award of $30,000 is given every second year to an outstanding Documentary Film Maker.

The Marti Friedlander Photographic Award
The Marti Friedlander Photographic Award was launched by the Arts Foundation in 2007, in partnership with photographer Marti Friedlander and her husband Gerrard. The award is presented every two years to an exceptional photographer to help further their career.

The Crane Brothers Design Award
Crane Brothers founder, Murray Crane founded the Crane Foundation in 2024, and with it the Laureate for Design. This Laureate is dedicated to recognising and celebrating exceptional design across a diverse range of disciplines, including industrial and product design, architecture, interior design, and sustainable innovation.The award of $35,000 will be gifted every second year to an outstanding design artist whose work challenges conventions, inspires new possibilities, and enriches New Zealand’s creative landscape.

The Sir Roger Hall Theatre Award
Sir Roger Hall is one of Aotearoa’s most successful playwrights. Established in 2020, the Sir Roger Hall Theatre Award will recognise and support exceptional talent in theatre. At Sir Roger’s request, this $30,000 award will alternate each year with a number of smaller awards (probably of $5000 each) to individuals or institutions so that the benefit of his trust may be spread widely.

John and Jo Gow Sculpture Award
John and Jo Gow are long-standing supporters of the arts community, and the visionaries behind the the Connells Bay Sculpture Park on Waiheke Island. Established in 2023, the John and Jo Gow Laureate Award recognises an outstanding sculptor with $30,000, and is awarded every second year.

Laureate awards are not open for applications.