The recipient of the $25,000 Academy Prize for Visual Art has been announced at a landmark art event at Tākina Wellington Convention Exhibition Centre in an exhibition uniting Aotearoa’s artists, creative spaces, and public art champions under one roof for the very first time.

Showcasing 350 contemporary artworks by 260 artists from every corner of New Zealand, the exhibition highlights extraordinary artistic talents. A field of ninety finalists chosen by a mix of selection and public vote contended for the $25,000 grand prize and five merit awards of $1,000 each.

The winner of the Academy Prize is Yavanna den Harder for her “Eye For Detail”.

Quoting Wayne Newman, President of NZAFA: “Yavanna is a young local artist whose intently observed charcoal works have brought her increasing attention in recent exhibitions. From the superb field of worthy finalists offering an extraordinary breadth of style, creativity and exuberant colour, the judges were drawn back repeatedly to a bravura execution of hyper-realistic observation and depiction of the most critical faculty for visual art, rendered purely in charcoal. We congratulate Yavanna on this outstanding achievement.”

The recipients of the five Merit Awards were: Lynn Blann for “The Weight”, Kim Hennessy for “We Need A New Hero”, Benjamin Tolmie for “Dancing in Nature | Kanikani me ao tūroa”, Weilun Ha for “Sweetheart put me back together” and Logan Moffat for “The Garage”.

All of the entries, finalists and prize-winning works will be on display within Tākina until 24 August offering a unique opportunity to experience the interconnectedness and talent spanning Aotearoa’s contemporary art scene.

This exhibition is proudly supported by The POST, Tākina, Wellington City Council and WellingtonNZ and includes collaborative exhibitions by Vincents Art Workshop and Wellington Sculpture Trust as well as “Poking Sticks…” in association with Oranjehof Dutch Connection Centre.

AUGUST 7 -24 2025: Daily 10 am – 5 pm:
General admission: $11 adults, $6 children under 12.
Ticket sales at the door and online.

Images captured by Kate Keep