Fieldays No 8 Wire National Art Award closing soon

Methven-based artist Hannah Kidd will judge this year's Fieldays No 8 Wire National Art Award. Photos / Supplied

The deadline is looming to enter the Fieldays No 8 Wire National Art Award, which challenges artists across Aotearoa New Zealand to transform the iconic agricultural product into inspiring art.

Managed by Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato and supported by the New Zealand National Fieldays Society, the annual competition will close its call for entries at 1pm on Friday, April 14.

Now in its 25th year, the Fieldays No 8 Wire National Art Award has seen decades of artistic innovation as both established artists and newcomers manipulate the infamously difficult wire into stunning works for sale.

A blind-judging process keeps entrant identities confidential, enabling the guest judge to focus solely on the art. A digital judging platform is used to review photos and select the finalists, who are competing for their claim to a share of $8500 in prize money.

This year, the entries will be judged by sculptor Hannah Kidd. Based in Methven with iwi affiliations to Ngāti Toa, Kidd is renowned for her large-scale constructions made of welded steel. She graduated in 2001 from the Otago Polytechnic School of Art with a Bachelor of Fine Arts majoring in sculpture, and her distinctive work has been exhibited around the world.

The winner of this year’s award will receive $7000, with prizes of $1000 for second place and $500 for third. Further prizes are also awarded for People’s Choice and President’s Choice.

The award culminates in a month-long exhibition at Hamilton’s ArtsPost Galleries & Shop, opening on Friday, May 26. The free exhibition will overlap with Fieldays, to be held from June 14 to 17 at Mystery Creek.

To read the Fieldays No 8 Wire National Art Award competition criteria and access the entry form, go to www.waikatomuseum.co.nz/no8wire.

Fieldays No 8 Wire National Art Award timeline

● Entries close: 1pm Friday, April 14

● Finalists notified: Week of April 24

● Winners announced/award ceremony: Thursday, May 25

● Exhibition open: Friday, May 26 – Sunday, July 2

● Venue: ArtsPost, 120 Victoria St, Hamilton. Open daily 10am to 5pm, free entry.