Rokowhiria Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum and the Zonta Club of Ashburton are delighted to announce the call for entries to the annual Zonta Ashburton Women’s Art Awards (ZAWAA) and exhibition for 2027. A major cash prize and solo exhibition will be awarded to the Premier Award winner, and all selected finalists will have their work shown in the awards exhibition at Rokowhiria Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum. The competition is open to all emerging and mid-career visual artists in the Waitaha Canterbury region. The award seeks to raise the status of visual artists who identify as women and recognise their excellence in fine arts practice.

Along with the Premier Award is a Young Generation Award for women artists between the ages of sixteen and twenty. This is a cash prize that acknowledges distinguished potential in art and aims to encourage further creative endeavours: an outcome well suited to Zonta—a global organisation of women working to elevate the status of women worldwide. In addition, there is a People’s Choice Award that runs throughout the course of the exhibition.

Entries will be shortlisted by a panel of judges comprised of three art sector professionals. The awards will be announced by the judges on the opening night on Friday 05 March 2027. Entry forms can be found on the Ashburton Art Gallery website or from the Rokowhiria Ashburton Art Gallery and Museum reception.

Link to terms of entry and entry form:

https://ashburtonartgallery.org.nz/starburst/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ZAWAA-2027-Terms-of-entry-InteractivePDF.pdf

Entries close 30 September 2026.

Key dates for ZAWAA27:

• 30 September 2026 | Entries close
• 18 January 2027 | ZAWAA27 finalists and judges announced
• 05 February 2027 | Last day for finalists’ works to be delivered to Rokowhiria
• 05 March 2027 7pm | Exhibition opening
• 25 April 2027 | Exhibition closes

Main image: ZAWAA26 Premier Award-winning work dreamchaser by Miranda Parkes.