Walters Prize


The Walters Prize is New Zealand's largest contemporary art prize.
Held biennially since 2002, the prize aims to 'make contemporary art a more widely recognised and debated feature of cultural life'. The prize is named in honour of New Zealand abstract painter Gordon Walters and the founding benefactors and principal donors are Erika and Robin Congreve and Dame Jenny Gibbs. The prize is organised by and held at Auckland Art Gallery.
Four artists are nominated each year by a panel of four New Zealand-based jurors for a work or body of work exhibited in the previous two years. The four artists are invited to install the nominated works at the Auckland Art Gallery in a public exhibition. The prize is awarded by a visiting international judge.
The winner receives $50,000. The prize attracts significant media coverage every year.
The 2016 nominees were considered notable, as three of the four nominees are of Māori descent.

Recipients and finalists

2018
Jurors: Stephen Cleland, Allan Smith, Lara Strongman, Megan Tamati-Quennell
Finalists:
2016
Judge: Doryun Chong
Jurors: Emma Bugden, Peter Robinson, Lara Strongman, Nina Tonga
Finalists:
2014
Judge: Charles Esche
Jurors: Tina Barton, Anna-Marie White, Peter Robinson, Caterina Riva.
Finalists:
2012
Judge: Mami Kataoka
Jurors: David Cross, Aaron Kreisler, Kate Montgomery, Gwynneth Porter.
  • Kate Newby for Crawl out your window
  • Simon Denny for Introductory logic video tutorial
  • Alicia Frankovich for Floor Resistance
  • Sriwhana Spong for Fanta Silver and Song
2010
Judge: Vicente Todolí
Jurors: Jon Bywater, Rhana Devenport, Leonhard Emmerling and Kate Montgomery.
  • Dan Arps for Explaining Things
  • Alex Monteith for Passing Manoeuvre with Two Motorcycles and 584 Vehicles for Two-Channel Video
  • Fiona Connor for Something Transparent
  • Saskia Leek for Yellow is the Putty of the World
German-based New Zealand artist Michael Stevenson was also nominated for his 2008 exhibition Persepolis 2530 shown in Bristol, but the Auckland Art Gallery stated that 'due to accommodation and budgetary constraints it was not possible to exhibit' the work and therefore while the nomination stood it was not eligible for judging.
2008
Judge: Catherine David
Jurors: Jon Bywater, Elizabeth Caldwell, Andrew Clifford and Rhana Devenport
  • Peter Robinson for ACK
  • Edith Amituanai for Déjeuner
  • Lisa Reihana for Digital Marae
  • John Reynolds for Cloud
2006
Judge: Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev
Jurors: Tina Barton, Andrew Clifford, Wystan Curnow and Heather Galbraith
  • Francis Upritchard for Doomed, Doomed, All Doomed
  • Stella Brennan for Wet Social Sculpture
  • Phil Dadson for Polar Projects
  • Peter Robinson for The Humours
2004
Judge: Robert Storr
Jurors: Tina Barton, Dr Deidre Brown, Greg Burke and Justin Paton
  • et al. for restricted access
  • Jacqueline Fraser for <>
  • Ronnie van Hout for No Exit Parts 1 and 2
  • Daniel von Sturmer for The Truth Effect
2002'
Judge: Harald Szeemann
Jurors: Robert Leonard, Justin Paton, Anna Miles and William McAloon