FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

2025 Secondary School Art Awards

Calling all Year 11, 12 & 13 high school art students!

Now in its 13th year, the annual Secondary School Art Awards recognises and celebrates emerging artistic talent in New Zealand.

Explore your artistic potential, challenge yourself, and take your passion for art to the next level.

Year 11, 12 & 13 secondary school art students are invited to submit one work of art.

Shortlisted finalists will be invited to send their work to be exhibited at The Arts House Trust, Pah Homestead where the winners will be chosen on September 11 by the Arts House Trust Curatorial Team and this year’s Guest Judge, Brett Graham.

Guest Judge, Brett Graham 
Brett Graham (Supplied)

GUEST JUDGE:
Brett Graham

We are proud to announce Brett Graham as Guest Judge for this year's Secondary School Art Awards.

READ MORE

2023 First Place: Audrey Goggin, 'Stitching Together Memories'

Prizes

  • First Place: $1,000

  • Second Place: $500

  • Third Place: $350

  • People’s Choice: $500

Key Dates

  • Entries Open: July 28, 9AM

  • Entries Close: August 17, 11:59PM

  • Finalists Notified: August 19

  • Finalists Opening Afternoon Tea
    & Announcement of Winners:
    September 11, 3:30 - 5PM

  • Finalists Exhibition:
    September 11 - October 19

Who Can Enter

  • Year 11, 12 & 13 arts students from secondary schools in New Zealand.

How It Works

  1. Entrants submit a digital entry of the one piece of work they would like to submit. Each student may submit one artwork in any of the following mediums: Painting, drawing, photography, moving image, digital art, ceramics, sculpture, or soft materials.

  2. Finalists are chosen and asked to post or hand deliver the physical work to The Arts House Trust Gallery in Hillsborough, Auckland.

  3. Winners are announced on September 11th at the opening of the Finalists’ Exhibition. Judging will be conducted by staff from The Arts House Trust along with a guest judge.

  4. The finalists’ work is exhibited at the gallery between September 11 - October 19.

  5. Following the exhibition, finalists can either collect their work from the gallery after the closing or have it returned in prepaid courier envelope supplied with entry of physical work.

Shortlisted Finalists for 2025

  • Aaliyah Maile (Gisborne Girls' High School)

  • Aaron Diaz (Sancta Maria College)

  • Akaru Minomo (Selwyn College)

  • Ako Yoshizawa (Papanui High School)

  • Alysia Roberts (Middleton Grange School)

  • Amanda Cronwright (Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu)

  • An Ye (Rangitoto College)

  • Ana Phillips (Bethlehem College)

  • Ana Croucher (Western Springs College)

  • Anais Leong (Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School)

  • Angel Rai (Waitakere College)

  • Annabel Addison (Middleton Grange School)

  • Annita Chen (Epsom Girls Grammar School)

  • Ari Pragnell (Northcote College)

  • Athena (Zimeng) Zhang (St Mary's College)

  • Ava Porter (Waitakere College)

  • Azaria Puruto (James Cook High School)

  • Benjamin Godsmark (Green Bay High School)

  • Christie Blair (Western Springs College)

  • Daniel Gan (St Paul's Collegiate)

  • Daria Dixon (Te Kura Correspondence School)

  • Dulcie Copeland (ACG Tauranga)

  • Eileen Leem (Burnside High School)

  • Elaine Zhou (Westlake Girls High School)

  • Emma Marshall (Papanui High School)

  • Emma Herrett (Hagley College)

  • Evita Woods (Mount Albert Grammar School)

  • Farrah Bell (Te Kura)

  • Fatima Shekoh (Lynfield College)

  • Giovanni Siasau (Liston College)

  • Heidi Chambers (Waitakere College)

  • Hlaina Goffin (Waitakere College)

  • Indiana Boreham (Waitakere College)

  • Isabella Li (Saint Kentigern College)

  • Isabella Chen (Botany Downs Secondary College)

  • Isabelle Theobald (New Plymouth Girls' High School)

  • Jacob Schaffer (Western Springs College)

  • Jessica Wang (Rangitoto College)

  • Jihyo Youn (St Mary's College – Auckland)

  • Joanne Yong (Macleans College)

  • Jolyn Raina (James Cook High School)

  • Jonah McKay (Epsom Girls Grammar School)

  • Keiran Smit (Epsom Girls Grammar School)

  • Keticha Akaharakonkun (Newlands College)

  • Kevin Kang (Kristin School)

  • Lilly Peeters (Selwyn College)

  • Lucy Lu (Hillcrest High School)

  • Lucy Nielsen (Iona College)

  • Madison O'Neill (Orewa College)

  • Maisy Wilson (Avondale College)

  • Maja Begic (Selwyn College)

  • Marcus Gorayeb (One Tree Hill College)

  • Maya Lampen-Nigl (Te Kura)

  • Memphis Tualasea (Liston College)

  • Natalie French (Avondale College)

  • Nathaniel Ahken (Liston College)

  • Neev Panchal (Wellington College)

  • Nico Harrison (Kaipara College)

  • Olivia Zha (Pinehurst School)

  • Patricia Ashby (Rosehill College)

  • Preston Short (Edgewater College)

  • Ronald Wang (Hobsonville Point Secondary School)

  • Sean Wilson (Selwyn College)

  • Seryn Lee (Christchurch Girls' High School)

  • Shannon Yu (St Paul's Collegiate School)

  • Taimai Nanua (Te Kura Māori o Nga Tapuwae)

  • Titali Ahio (Liston College)

  • Toby Hall (Liston College)

  • Viliami Katoa (Dilworth School)

  • Wisdom Stedfast (Te Kura)

  • Yun Pan (Saint Kentigern College)

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Spread the Word

The Secondary School Art Awards are an amazing opportunity for high school art students. Please share this event with Art Teachers and their Year 11, 12 & 13 students by sharing the link for this page, or downloading a poster to print and display in the Art Department.

Download Print Poster
Download and print the poster to pin up in a school Art Department.

Download the Digital Poster
Download to share on social media or in a newsletter.

Previous Winners

  • 2024 Second Place: Albert Siasau, ‘Ofa ki Tutua nga kava’, Liston College, Year 13

  • 2024 People's Choice Award: Omedetou' by Misaki Nakamura

  • 2024 Third Place: Lucy Berman, ‘Chambers of Life’, St Cuthberts, Year 12

  • 2024 First Place: Mung Lian Zaw, ‘Zo Lai Leng’”, Liston College, Year 13

  • 2023 First Place: Audrey Goggin, 'Stitching Together Memories'

  • 2023 Second Place: Chang Liu, 'Lotus Incarnate'

  • 2023 Third Place Equal: Braiden Leituala 'The Evolution Of Si va Afi : 'A Warrior's Dance'

  • 2023 Third Place Equal: Daisy Wilson, 'Fake Fish'

  • 2023 People's Choice: Echo Huang, 'Where Do I Belong?'

About The Arts House Trust

The Arts House Trust is located in the historic Pah Homestead, within Hillsborough's Monte Cecilia Park.

The centre hosts a changing programme of free exhibitions curated from both the collection as well as regional touring exhibitions.

The Trust has one of the most extensive collections of contemporary New Zealand art, numbering over 9,500.