Her work features images of Mt Ruapehu, Mt Fuji, temples, marae, manaia, dragons, crows, tui and great cresting waves influenced by the famous woodblock prints of artist Katsushika Hokusai.
Tsubaki said she sometimes uses a magnifying glass when incising the extremely fine lines for her prints.
She was awarded a prize of $1000 and will hold an exhibition of her work at Whanganui Fine Arts Gallery next year.
"I'm going back to school for Year 13 and will continue working with my awesome art teacher."
Tsubaki said teacher Diane Pottinger has given her wonderful encouragement this year.
Another winner was 16-year-old Kate Regan who received the People's Choice Award sponsored by Renata's Art & Framing.
Jim Norris, of Fine Arts Whanganui, said Kate's "dramatic and evocative photographic portraits" impressed gallery visitors who voted for her to win the $200 prize.
Fine Arts member Gaynor Mulholland said the portfolios submitted were of a very high standard this year.
"The exhibition attracted a lot of visitors and they were impressed."
The award presentations were combined with the celebration of Fine Arts Whanganui's fourth birthday.
The collective was formed in 2015 after a group of artists took part in an exhibition at Wanganui Veterinary Services.
Four years later, after a few line-up changes, they can look back on numerous successful exhibitions of their own work and the gallery has hosted many guest artists.
"It was a very successful evening, well attended by our supporters with lots of young people who joined in to help celebrate the announcement of the Fine Arts Whanganui Young Artist Scholarship awards," Norris said.
"Gaynor Mulholland made a yummy birthday cake cut by our chairman Craig Hooker."
The Fine Arts Whanganui Young Artist Scholarship was initiated in 2017 when it was won by Mikayla Baldwin and then by Lily Claypole in 2018.
Tsubaki Scythe's solo exhibition will take place in June 2020.
