Te Pūkenga Whakaata – New Zealand Portrait Gallery
A portraiture prize for Māori artists creating portraits of their tupuna (ancestors) in any medium, with $20,000 first prize.
The Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award is a prestigious competition that celebrates Māori artistic excellence by inviting Māori artists to create portraits of their tupuna (ancestors). The Award is hosted by Te Pūkenga Whakaata – the New Zealand Portrait Gallery – in honour of the late Māori King, Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, with the blessing of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po.
Portraits may be in any medium — from paint, carved wood, metal, and glass, to whakairo, raranga, whatu, tā moko, and digital or electronic imagery. The only requirement is that the subject must be a tupuna of the artist, and the work must have been completed within the last two years.
Prizes:
The first prize winning artwork will be gifted to the Kiingitanga and held in perpetuity in their collection.
Who can enter:
All Māori artists are eligible, regardless of career stage or age. Collaborative works are welcome, provided all collaborators are Māori artists with whakapapa connections to the depicted tupuna. Previous winners may re-enter. Each entrant may submit one work only.
Entry requirements:
Note: AI-generated content (in whole or in part) is not permitted.
Key dates:
Finalist works may be offered for sale through the Gallery (30% commission applies). Selected works will tour venues across Aotearoa for up to 24 months following the close of the Wellington exhibition.
Emerging Māori artists seeking funding to create their work may also wish to apply to Creative New Zealand's Toi Tipu Toi Rea Fund, which offers up to $10,000 for eligible projects.
