IHC Art Awards 2025

The IHC Art Awards provide artists with an intellectual disability the opportunity to have their talent recognised, their voices heard and to sell their work.

2025 winners

First place

Max Hinds-Brown
The Red Chair

Second place

Courtney Youens
My Dad

Third place

Erena Wylie
Korowai Tui Cloak

Youth Award

Ryko McAvoy-Hope
Farmer

L’affare People’s Choice Award

Manaia Matakatea
Grocery List
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First Place Winner
Renee Derix
Underwater
Youth Entry
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Second Place Winner
Amy Lewis
Angel for the People
Youth Entry
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Third Place Winner
Amy Hall
Harriet: My Cat
Youth Entry
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Youth Award Winner
Honor Griffiths
Blue Purple Cool Yucky
Youth Entry
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Studio2 – The Holdsworth Charitable Trust Scholarship Award Winner
Krystal Hyslop
Love
Youth Entry
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Studio2 – The Holdsworth Charitable Trust Scholarship Award Winner
Leslie Wilson
Hands
Youth Entry
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Studio2 – The Holdsworth Charitable Trust Scholarship Award Winner
Sheree Whaiapu
Wairoa Awa
Youth Entry
See past winners

About the IHC Art Awards

First held in 2004, the IHC Art Awards have become a major annual event, celebrating the talent and achievements of artists with an intellectual disability or intellectual disability and autism. Open to artists across New Zealand, the Art Awards provide a platform to showcase artists creativity, gain recognition, have their voices heard and sell their work.  

Whether you're an experienced artist or just starting out, this is your opportunity to share your work with the public and be part of a nationwide celebration of art. We can’t wait to see your incredible artwork.

Exhibition details

The Art Awards Exhibition is on now. All of this year's entries are on display and can be purchased. Artists receive 100% of the sale proceeds.

Dates

Friday 25 July – Wednesday 13 August 2025

Location

Webb’s Wellington, 23 Marion Street, Wellington

Opening hours

Monday to Friday: 9.30am – 5:30pm

Saturday: 11am – 3pm

Sunday: Closed

Online gallery

View all of this year's entries in our Art Awards online gallery. Click on an artwork and fill out the form if you would like to enquire about purchasing it.

Go to gallery

Forté Recruitment People's Choice Award

You can vote for your favourite artwork from this year’s 30 finalists – including the winners – by visiting the People's Choice Award voting page

You can vote once every 24 hours for as many entries as you like, until 5pm on Sunday 10 August 2025. The winner will be announced the following week and will receive $2,000, thanks to Fortē Recruitment.

Please note: We’ll be monitoring for duplicate or fraudulent votes to keep things fair. All decisions by IHC New Zealand are final and binding.

Vote for People's Choice

Prize money

Entry conditions

To enter the IHC Art Awards 2025, artists must have an intellectual disability or both an intellectual disability and autism. They must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents aged 13 or older at the time of entry.

Artists do not need to be using our IHC, IDEA Services or Choices NZ.

Only individual artworks will be accepted – no group artworks. The artwork must be original and created by the artist with minimal assistance from others in the last twelve (12) months.

All types of artworks are welcome, including drawing, painting, collage, and sculpture. Please note that photography entries will no longer be accepted, but you have the option to enter our photography competition, Capture the moment 2025.

For full details on the entry criteria, eligibility, and other important information, please review the terms and conditions:

Art Awards Terms and Conditions 2025

Art Awards Terms and Conditions 2025

Art Awards Holdsworth Charitable Trust Scholarship Awards Terms and Conditions 2025

Art Awards Scholarship Terms and Conditions 2025

Have questions? Email us at ihc.events@ihc.org.nz and we’ll be happy to help.

For more updates, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

IHC Art Awards Ambassador

Dame Denise L’Estrange-Corbet is the co-founder of the highly acclaimed fashion house WORLD which was established in 1989 with Francis Hooper in Auckland.

Her love of the arts saw her first judge the IHC Art Awards in 2009, she then went onto become the IHC Art Awards Ambassador in 2017 and was made Patron of IHC New Zealand in 2022.

Dame Denise is passionate about people with disabilities being integrated into everyday workplaces, as part of our community.

Dame Denise L'Estrange-Corbet

Judging panel

Mark Hutchins-Pond

Mark Hutchins-Pond

Mark Hutchins-Pond joined Webb’s Wellington, as a Senior Art Specialist in September 2022 after a decade as the lead curator, contemporary art, at the Pātaka Art+Museum in Porirua. Mark’s extensive art sector expertise has been acquired over three decades of studying, writing, presenting, critiquing, and championing the best contemporary fine art in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Before leading Pātaka’s curatorial team, Mark established and successfully directed his own dealer gallery for nine years in upper Willis Street, Wellington, where he represented several senior artists who continue to achieve record prices in the secondary market to this day.  
He has written for and edited various art publications, both independently and as a part of his lead curator role within the museum sector, and is a popular and respected speaker on New Zealand art and artists. 

Mark has years of experience judging art competitions for Pātaka Art+Museum, Mahara Gallery, Hutt Art Society, and Wellington Sculpture Trust and, after the enjoyable time he had being part of the judging panel for last year’s IHC Art Awards, was pleased to be invited back to help judge the awards again this year.

Elizabeth Caldwell

Elizabeth Caldwell

Elizabeth Caldwell has been working in the culture sector in Aotearoa for more than 30 years and received an ONZM for her services to the arts in the 2022 King’s New Year Honours.

She is currently heading up a new division of Napier City Council as Manager Arts, Culture and Heritage. Prior to taking up the role earlier this year, she was Te Ringa Auaha | Director Art and Heritage at Experience Wellington, with responsibility for the oversight of the conceptual content of the exhibitions at all its sites, including City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi and Wellington Museum.

Professional roles prior to this include Director City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi, Director at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Head of Art at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Visual Arts Manager at Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa, and Curator of Contemporary Art at the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.

Tim Walker

Tim Walker

Tim Walker is an Auckland-based arts and culture consultant. After playing leadership roles in the museum sector for three decades – including as senior art curator through the development of Te Papa, and director of The New Dowse – he set up his own company.

As a consultant Tim works with arts, culture and heritage organisations, iwi and hapu, tourism businesses, and government and local government throughout New Zealand.

Tim is chair of Toi Whakaari – the New Zealand Drama School. He has an MA in Art History and was awarded an Honorary Degree in Creative Technologies by the Council of the Wellington Institute of Technology.

Michel Tuffery

Michel Tuffery

The Holdsworth Charitable Trust Award Judge

Michel Tuffery is a New Zealand born artist of Samoan, Rarotongan and Tahitian Ma‘ohi heritage.

A keen historian and active participant in contemporary culture leads to his art being curated into major international exhibitions and programmes, and public and private collections globally.

At the core of his art practice, he ingeniously works across all traditional mediums and multimedia. Renowned as a sculptor, painter, printmaker and for his architectural media artworks, he is a connector of people and places by focusing a fresh lens on community, environmental, cultural and historical divides.

In 2008, Michel was appointed as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to art, but for him the real reward comes from enriching communities through his art.

Our sponsors

Holdsworth Charitable Trust logo

The Holdsworth Charitable Trust

IHC would like to acknowledge and thank the Holdsworth Charitable Trust for once again generously supporting the IHC Art Awards.
This year we're delighted to acknowledge the Trust's sponsorship of the new Holdsworth Charitable Trust Scholarship Award supporting art studios.

The Trust has been the major sponsor of the IHC Art Awards since 2014 and IHC is extremely proud of the long association between the Holdsworth Charitable Trust and the IHC Art Awards.

Forte Recruitment logo

Forté Recruitment

Forté Recruitment  are a respected recruitment agency specialising in corporate services, IT, not-for-profit, and Government roles. Our trusted reputation has been earned over many years by our long-term recruitment industry specialists. We are 100% Aotearoa owned and operated.

We’re told that what sets us apart is… We listen. We deliver. We respond. We give more. We are welcoming and personable.

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