Icon Awards

The Arts Foundation Icon Awards - Whakamana Hiranga, honours senior New Zealand artists for their life-long achievements.  These artists are recognised as leaders in their fields.  The Award is considered the Arts Foundation's highest honour.

Icon Awards are limited to a living circle of 20.  Established in 2003, each Icon receives a medallion and pin.  The artist has the pin forever, while the medallion is presented to a successor at a future ceremony.

The Icon medallion and pin are designed by stone sculptor John Edgar.  John chose bronze for the medallions for its rich colour, strength and hardness, and for its long association with the history of medals and coinage.  Each medallion is made unique by the setting of pounamu at the centre.   New Zealand's nephrite jade (pounamu) is a most treasured resource, a unique stone from this land of stones.  The medallions are boxed in New Zealand matai, sourced from recycled timber from the central North Island.  The lapel pins are cast in silver and have dark green pounamu set in the centre.