Taranaki Foundation
Exhibition Closed for 2024
About Emergence:
The Emergence Art Awards are back, offering an expanded array of prize categories. Taranaki young artists are encouraged to prepare over the summer break for Stratford’s Percy Thomson Gallery's upcoming competition, the Emergence Art Awards 2024.
The Emergence Art Awards is an art competition and exhibition that spotlights the creative talents of young and emerging artists in Taranaki. To participate, artists must be born in Taranaki, reside in Taranaki, or have attended secondary school in Taranaki and be aged between 13 and 26 years. This competition provides a remarkable platform for these budding artists to showcase their work to a wider audience.
Entries for the 2024 Emergence Art Awards will open from 1 April until 3 June 2024. The finalist’s’ work will be exhibited at the Percy Thomson Gallery from 28 June to 21 July 2024.
The Emergence Art Awards 2024 is proudly supported by the Taranaki Foundation through the Taranaki Hauora Fund, established in 2018 in memory of Leon Squire, son of Kelvin and Carolyn Squire. The Fund focuses on the hauora (well-being) of rangatahi (young people) and the nurturing of their creativity.
Emergence is a bi-annual event and was first held in 2018.
To enter EMERGENCE the young artist must be born in Taranaki, live in Taranaki, or have attended secondary school in Taranaki and be aged 13 to 26 years on June 3rd, 2024.
FAQ's:
About the Emergence Awards
The Emergence Awards is a biennial Taranaki-based art competition and exhibition held at the Percy Thomson Gallery, Stratford that celebrates the emerging creative talents of young artists in the Taranaki community. Established in 2018, this event has become a significant platform for young artists to showcase their work and gain recognition.
About the Taranaki Foundation
The Taranaki Foundation is one of 17 community foundations throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. It enables people in Taranaki to donate to their favourite causes, or to give to a general fund, with the mission to inspire and enable giving for a thriving Taranaki now and for generations to come. The Foundation invests and grows donations, distributing the investment returns earned, so that the gift keeps giving. Through this model, the foundation builds reliable, permanent funding streams to support long-term community transformation.
How do I enter?
Entries officially open from 1 April to 3 June 2024. The link will be at the top of this page from 1st April. Stay tuned!
What do I need to have prepared before I enter?
Complete and photograph your artwork.
Fill in your online entry form.
The Gallery Director will email you after 3rd June 2024, to say if you've been successful with your entry.
Ensure that you can deliver your artwork to Percy Thomson Gallery, in Stratford, before Monday 24th June.
Taranaki Foundation Chief Executive, Josh Hickford, emphasised the importance of supporting young emerging artists, stating, "We have a huge pool of creative talent in Taranaki, and it is great to support the awards, which provide an opportunity to showcase these young emerging artists."
Gallery Director, Laura Campbell, believes in the transformative power of the Emergence Awards for aspiring young artists in the region. She commented, "Emergence is all about providing a rare experience for our young people to show their abilities, allowing them to see their work in a public gallery and grow their creative confidence."
In 2024, the Emergence Awards features an exciting array of prizes, with 22 different awards available for participants. These awards range from category prizes for photography, 2D and 3D art, fibre art, Māori art, Taranaki schools prizes, and people's choice awards. The competition provides an opportunity for artists to not only gain recognition but also offer them the possibility of selling their work.
2024 Full List of Prizes:
Main Awards
- Supreme Winner: $2,000 + solo exhibition at PTG in future.
- Second Place: $1,000
- Third Place: $750
- Highly Commended: $500 (x2)
Category Awards
- Photography Winner: $500
- Painting Winner: $500
- 2D (Other than Painting): $500
- 3D Winner: $500
- Fibre Art Winner: $500
Secondary School Awards
- Winner Secondary School: $750
- Second Secondary School: $500
- Third Secondary School: $250
- Merit 13-14 years: $100
- Merit 15-19 years: $100
Special Awards
- Toi Maori Winner: $500
- Toi Maori Highly Commended: $300
- First-time Exhibitor Winner: $300
Additional Recognition
- Taranaki Foundation Choice: $300
- Judges’ Encouragement: $300
- Director’s Choice: $300
- People's Choice: $500
Supported by
Exhibited by
Taranaki Foundation is honoured to support this awesome celebration of art and creativity in Taranaki once again.
Looking through all the entrants, we were astounded by the talent and creativity in display - it’s seriously impressive and shows just how much artistic talent we’ve got in our community. So, big congratulations to all the artists who shared their work this year, you should all be very proud. I am sure that this is only the beginning of your artistic journey.
Thanks to Percy Thomson Gallery Director and Curator Laura Campbell and her dedicated team for all their work delivering these awards.
We are proud to be involved in the awards through one of our donor funds - the Taranaki Hauora Fund, created by well-known Stratford locals – Kelvin & Carolyn Squire. The Fund was established in 2018 in memory of their son Leon. This fund means a lot to us, and we really value how it creates powerful opportunities for the hauora wellbeing of our rangatahi young people in Taranaki. We are grateful for the Squires generosity and their willingness to continue Leon’s legacy through this Fund, supporting community initiatives such as Emergence.
The core of Taranaki Foundation is our donors. Our purpose is to inspire a culture of giving and sharing in Taranaki to make our region prosperous for all. To achieve this, we look to inspire Taranaki people to give back and leave a legacy to the Taranaki community, whatever that legacy may be. In practice we manage donor funds, just like the Taranaki Hauora Fund, and carry out those donor wishes and purposes. We also engage in community projects, annual funding rounds and help corporates with their community projects, annual funding rounds and help corporates with their community giving.
We can’t wait to find out who all the winners are this year and taking time to enjoy the exhibition. It’s awesome to support this event which provides an opportunity for young artists to shine.
Josh Hickford
Chief Executive, Taranaki Foundation
Nau mai, haere mai! Welcome! The Emergence Art Awards are back!
Emergence is all about providing a rare experience for our young people to show their abilities, allowing them to see their work in a public gallery and grow their creative confidence. The Emergence Art Awards is an art competition and exhibition that spotlights the creative talents of young and emerging artists in Taranaki.
The Emergence Art Awards 2024 is proudly supported by the Taranaki Foundation through the Taranaki Hauora Fund, established in 2018 in memory of Leon Squire, son of Kelvin and Carolyn Squire. The Fund focuses on the hauora (well-being) of rangatahi (young people) and the nurturing of their creativity. We acknowledge the amazing support we receive every two years working with Josh, Theresa and the ongoing generosity of Kelvin and Carolyn Squire. Without the vision of this wonderfully kind couple from Whakaahurangi Stratford, this creative opportunity for our young people would not be possible. With over 130 artists and 22 award categories in this year’s competition, the Emergence exhibition is always a highlight on our exhibition calendar.
In 2024, we are also honoured to see our Emergence Supreme Winner of 2022, Brett Morrison, creating her first solo exhibition at Percy Thomson Gallery. The exhibition is entitled ‘All Four Corners’ and captures a personal photographic journey through South America in 2022/23. We are proud to see Brett’s progress.
A big thank you to our three judges for Emergence 2024 – Dr Elliot Collins, Jennifer Halli and Dwayne Duthie.
I look forward to seeing artworks created by young artists in our community!
Laura Campbell
Director, Percy Thomson Gallery
Emergence 2024 Judges
Dr Elliot Collins
Dwayne Duthie
Jennifer Halli
Previous Emergence Winners
Supreme Winner
and Photography Winner
in the Taranaki Foundation's Emergence Award
for Young Taranaki Artists 2022
Brett Morrison
'Somewhere South'
Somewhere South
Brett Morrison
Photograph, Film.
$650
Artworks listed with a price are for sale. (NFS = Not For Sale).
Judges Comments: This year’s winning entry is a quiet, evocative image, demonstrating a restraint and elegant use of contrast and deliberateness in its composition. The work demonstrates an intelligent understanding of scale and layering, as well as a sensitivity to the specific nature of film photography - Justin and Simon.
"Are you thinking about entering Emergence 2024?"
Brett Morrison, the 2022 winner, entered with no expectations but left with a newfound possibility for artistic progress. "Winning gave me the opportunity to progress more with my art."
Emergence allowed Brett to invest more in her photography, frame pieces for sale, experiment with different techniques and gain confidence in her artistic vision. Since winning, she has found community support to showcase and sell her pieces, explored South America for photography and experimented with various film development styles in the darkroom.
For young artists eyeing Emergence 2024, Brett advises, "Just enter, even if you don’t feel ready yet! Seeing your work on the wall at Percy Thomson Gallery is amazing. It’s worthwhile for the feedback from judges and others in the art world. Tell your friends and get them to enter as well."
Brett Morrison
Age: 23
Artist Statement: This photography was taken from the side of the road during a trip around the South Island in January this year. A gloomy day somewhere near Hanmer Springs offered this point of view ona familiar rural scene in Aotearoa. I like black and white film as it reveals feelings and perspectives we can’t see with our own eyes. Captured using a Canon AE-1 and Kentmere pan400 film. One-off print and framing.
SUPREME WINNER EMERGENCE 2022, Brett Morrison photographed on Opening Gala Night next to her winning artwork 'Somewhere South' (2022) film/photograph. Brett took home the Winner's trophy (graphics by Haoro Hond), $2,000 cash prize (kindly supported by Taranaki Foundation, through the Hauora Fund) and a solo exhibition at Percy Thomson Gallery in 2024.
2020 Winner
Jack Perkins.
A young Taranaki artist wants his peers to take advantage of the creative opportunities available to them.
Jack Perkins, 21, whose painting titled Echo took out the Supreme Award in the 2020 Emergence Awards hosted by the Percy Thomson Gallery, wants to see more young artists take advantage of the chance to exhibit their work.
"It's such a good way to encourage people and keep someone's passion for art going and even give them recognition for the work and skill they've put into producing their art."
Jack says it was a big step forward for him.
2018 Winner
Morgan Paige Taitoko (nee Hancock)
Reflecting on her 2018 win, Morgan Paige Taitoko shares how Emergence marked a turning point in her artistic journey. “Winning gave me the confidence to prioritise my art, leading me to become a self-employed full-time designer and artist over the past six years." Beyond confidence, the award also provided financial support which went into creating new artworks, covering exhibition costs, and establishing a website. Morgan emphasises, "It gave me the boost I needed to build my career and develop my artistic style."
Since winning, Morgan has freelanced as a designer, worked on diverse projects locally and internationally, and showcased her work in exhibitions across Auckland and Taranaki.
Encouraging aspiring young artists, Morgan passionately states, "Don't miss out on this great opportunity! It's a chance to show off your best work and shine alongside other up-and-coming artists at Percy Thomson Gallery."
Emergence 2022 Gallery
