The Ashburton Art Gallery and Zonta Club of Ashburton are delighted to announce the call for entries to the annual Zonta Ashburton Women’s Art Awards (ZAWAA) and exhibition for 2026. A major cash prize and solo exhibition will be awarded to the Premier Award winner, and all selected finalists will have their work shown in the awards exhibition at the Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum. The competition is open to all emerging and mid-career visual artists in the Waitaha Canterbury region. The award seeks to raise the status of visual artists who identify as women and recognise their excellence in fine arts practice.

“ZAWAA is a special art award which seeks to celebrate excellence and promote the work of women artists at the early stage of their careers” says Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum Director Shirin Khosraviani. “It is a great catalyst for motivating artists to create work and offer it up for critique and robust consideration by our judges. The exhibition never fails to impress.”

Along with the Premier Award is a Young Generation Award for women artists between the ages of sixteen and twenty. This is a cash prize that acknowledges distinguished potential in art and aims to encourage further creative endeavours: an outcome well suited to Zonta—a global organisation of women working to elevate the status of women worldwide. In addition, there is a People's Choice Award that runs throughout the course of the exhibition.

“The Zonta Club of Ashburton is proud of their longstanding relationship with the Ashburton Art Gallery in delivering this great opportunity to women artists in the Waitaha Canterbury region. The event keeps growing, last year more than 100 entries were received for the Premier Award along with 25 entries for the Young Generation category," says Zonta Ashburton president Freda Bierema-Noordam. "The exhibition in March 2026 is going to be ZAWAA's 10th anniversary and we are very thankful for the support we receive from local businesses and everyone involved to make these Awards possible.”

Entries will be shortlisted by a panel of judges comprised of three art sector professionals. The awards will be announced by the judges on the opening night on Friday 06 March 2026. Entry forms can be found on the Gallery’s website or from the Gallery and Museum receptions.

Link to terms of entry:

https://ashburtonartgallery.org.nz/starburst/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/ZAWAA-2026-Terms-of-entry-Interactive-PDF.pdf

Entries close 08 October 2025.

Key dates for ZAWAA26:

• 08 October 2025 | Entries close
• 12 January 2026 | ZAWAA26 finalists and judges announced
• 09 February 2026 | Last day for finalists’ works to be delivered to the Gallery
• 06 March 2026 7pm | Exhibition opening
• 19 April 2026 | Exhibition closes

Gallery Hours:

Open Daily 10am – 4pm

Open Wednesday 10am – 7pm

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