This award exhibition presented by The Zonta Club of Ashburton in partnership with the Ashburton Art Gallery showcases the works of emerging and mid-career female artists based in Canterbury. The award seeks to raise the status of female visual artists working in the wider Canterbury area and acknowledges excellence in emerging and mid-career female artists as well as providing a platform for female youth.

The ZAFAA 2018 premier award recipient will win a cash prize along with a special opportunity to hold a solo exhibition at the Gallery in the following year. This opprtunity to create a new body of work for a fully curated and professionally installed exhibition will be greatly valuable to the recipents artistic careers.

The awards will also have a separate Young Generation category open to female artists between the ages of 16 and 20. This award will acknowledge the creative youth in Canterbury with a cash prize.

Zonta International strives to empower women worldwide by improving the legal, political, economic, educational, health and professional status of women at global and local levels through service and advocacy. This exhibition reflects Zonta’s vision by recognising the artistic accomplishments of women who are actively contributing to and shaping our art scene and creating a bold and diverse future for the arts in Canterbury.

This exhibition is supported by Zonta Club of Ashburton, Real Estate New Zealand Ashburton, House of Travel Ashburton, ANZ Private Bank, Bushey Park Trust, Everist Gilchrist Lawyers, Dentistry on Parkside, Hattitude, CharRees Vineyard and Countdown.

Entries are now closed for ZAFAA18. 29 artworks have been selected for the Premier Award with an additional 3 eligible for the Young Generation Award. Read more about the finalists here.