NYAA 2025

National Youth Art Award 2025
Thank you to the two judges for this year’s finalists selection, Laree Payne and Dr. Jeremy Mayall.
From 397 entries, 60 finalists have been chosen over the 3 age categories.
Finalists announced:
13-14-years Aaron Liu We Built Our Cage
13-14-years Carol Zhao Paws and petals
13-14-years Casey Jia Man (Jessie Liu) The Echoes of Winter
13-14-years Hana Silsbee The King’s Mount
13-14-years Angela Yafei Yang Veil of Water
13-14-years Jeff Xu Cattle and Craft
13-14-years Jessica Zheng Living in the same space
13-14-years Katrina Meng Chinese intangible cultural heritage
13-14-years Ethan Chen Lisa in Lines
13-14-years Jessica Sun No Nest but the Wreckage
13-14-years Liv Pardoe Childish Fox
13-14-years Max Kind Somewhere Else
13-14-years Olly MacPherson carousel dreams
13-14-years Poppy Beasant Freedom
13-14-years Daniel Wu Modern Apex Predator
13-14-years Fangfei Zhao Life blooms
15-19-years Annabelle Waters Keep your head out of the clouds
15-19-years Angela Seo Do you love me now?
15-19-years Aroha Graham Manawa
15-19-years Ava Reid Sisters
15-19-years Ava Reid The Yellow Wallpaper
15-19-years Aymen Ali Ink of ancestors
15-19-years Boya Jing Wavy City Shape
15-19-years Brianna Diao Metamorphosis
15-19-years Clare Yu Smoked fish
15-19-years Zhiyuan Liu Reflections over Hamilton
15-19-years Deborah Brown Waiting for Birthday Cake
15-19-years Emma Marshall Fractured Connection
15-19-years Georgia Alexandria Jeffcote Sleeping George
15-19-years Heejae Choi Hanok Village
15-19-years Jason Siyang Huang Whakakotahitanga (fusion)
15-19-years Jessica Xu Money Grows on Trees
15-19-years Cathy Li Distortion
15-19-years Kaiden Walters Type me a secret
15-19-years Kate Richards TO HOPE
15-19-years Kyra Alkamil Ugly Truths
15-19-years Laura Anderson Fragile Reef
15-19-years Linda Qian Ghost Tide
15-19-years Lingxin Zhang Tranquil Order
15-19-years Penamino Tuia O A’U LENEI
15-19-years Poppy Buller Born This Way
15-19-years Raquel Sheldon Synesthesia
15-19-years Ronald Wang The World is a Makeshift Circus
15-19-years Ruby-May Maddock Hollow ruin
15-19-years Samuel Chung Ng Remnants of yesterday
15-19-years Shannon Yu Childhood
15-19-years Sienna Brits Sienna in Grey
15-19-years Veer Parshotam Juvenile
15-19-years Weizhi Zhou Taonga
15-19-years Xiyan (Lily) Hu The Twigs’ Story
15-19-years Zihan Xia Old Man
20-25-years Alisa Robinson Uranga Huru
20-25-years Max Nasmith I wanted to be an artist, not an accountant
20-25-years Molly Ratana Kōuma
20-25-years Olivia Connolly Preservation
20-25-years Portia Roper Spencer
20-25-years Shalom Rickard ‘Keepers of the promise’
20-25-years Sophia Kilgour Discombobulated Spock
20-25-years Stevie Fiske Family Portrait
20-25-years Tangaru Clarke Hari Hari Whanau Homestead

Thank you to all our sponsors for making the awards possible for another year, we are very grateful for your ongoing support. Two new awards were added this year also, which is encouraging for the future of the NYAA.

PICT Award – Performance, Installation, Conceptual and Temporal
Hamilton City Council Sustainability Awards in 3 age categories. A sustainable future is an important issue for future generations. This award is looking for:

• Art that encourages the public to think about the impact of our lifestyles and the waste we generate on Papatuanuku.

• Art that encourages the public to think about what a sustainable future looks like.

Awards evening 11 July at 6pm at Artspost, 120 Victoria Street, Hamilton

Exhibition runs from 11 July- 11 August

Award Dates

Entries open – 1 May 2025 Entries close 1 June 2025 Finalists and non-finalists notified 9 June 2025 Awards and Opening 11 July 2025 @ 6pm Artspost galleries

Award Prizes

OVERALL CATEGORIES AWARD: $1500 15-19 years 20-25 years First prize $2000 First prize $2000 Merit prize $500 Merit prize $500 Sustainability award $500 Sustainability award $500 13-14 Years First Prize $500 Merit Prize $250 Sustainability award $250 Other awards open all age categories Photography award $500 PICT Award – performance, installation, temporal, and conceptual art $500 Drawing award $500 Sculpture award $500 Print award $500 People’s choice award $500 Sponsors: Brian Perry Charitable Trust Forsyth Barr Psychology Consultants Simon and Anna Lou Surgeons for Health Hamilton City Council Nicolas Wells PCANZ -Print Council Aotearoa NZ Quested family Faith Thomas Drawing Award Gordon Harris The Sculpture Park

This Year's Judge:

Laree Payne (Ngāi Tahu) is the director of Laree Payne Gallery, the only dealer Gallery located in the Waikato Region. Operating for more than seven years, Laree Payne Gallery presents the work of leading contemporary artists from around Aotearoa and Australia. Alongside this, Laree Payne is the Curator for MESH Sculpture Trust, a trust of more than ten years who bring works of scale and significance to public spaces within Kirikiriroa central and surrounding areas. Laree Payne is passionate about visual arts in the region, and keen to see the sector nurtured and strengthened. She is delighted to be invited, alongside Jeremy Mayall, to judge the 2025 National Youth Art Awards, acknowledging the critical role awards such as these occupy in providing space, opportunity and recognition for young artists. Dr. Jeremy Mayall is the CEO of Creative Waikato – a regional arts organisation. He is also a composer, performer, artist, and researcher from Kirikiriroa-Hamilton, NZ. His creative work is primarily in music, sound art, installation and multimedia formats, with a focus on exploring the interrelationships between sound, time, space, the senses, and the human experience. Collaboration is at the core of much of his multi-sensory work, and recent projects have included work with musicians, dancers, poets, aerial silks performers, theatre practitioners, scientists, perfumers, bakers, authors, sculptors, filmmakers, pyrotechnicians, lighting designers and visual artists. As the CEO of Creative Waikato, he works to advocate for the value and importance of arts, culture and creativity to collective wellbeing. This organisation is a strategic capability builder who work throughout the Waikato region. They celebrate the importance of creativity, wellbeing and people in working towards a Waikato Region that thrives with diverse and transformative creative activity.

Laree Payne and Jeremy Mayall

Award Age Group

Clear

Title of work *

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Special Requirements

i.e. Power source, plinth

Medium *

I.e. Drawing, Painting, Illustration, Sculpture, Digital, Photograph, Mixed Media

Total Sale Price *

Bank Account Number *

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Photo of Art 1 *

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Photo of Art 2

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Photo of Art 3

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Artist Statement *

Is there anything you would like to say about your artwork?

Date of Birth *

Proof of Date of Birth *

Please upload a copy of a valid ID that shows date of birth

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Terms and Conditions *

I consent to WSA collecting the contact details provided above. I understand that my entry fee entitles me to WSA membership if requested and that WSA may retain and use these details for the purposes of communicating with members. This consent is given in accordance with the Privacy Act 1993. I have read the entry conditions attached and agree to abide by them. The submitted entry is my own work and not copied from the work of another artist. I agree to the work being reproduced for the purposes of promotion from time to time.

Yes

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Award Dates

Award Prizes

This Year's Judge:

Laree Payne and Jeremy Mayall

Our Sponsors

Thank you to all our sponsors

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