The Selection Process

About the Laureate Award

The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate Awards celebrate and empower Aotearoa’s most outstanding practising artists – artists whose practise also has an impact on Aotearoa. Every year we recognise up to ten exceptional artists with a $35,000 award and share their story with Aotearoa.

Laureate Selection Panel

An independent panel of experts from across the arts and creativity sector select the Laureates each year. They assess artists based on the below criteria. Consideration will be given to diversity of recipients each year, across regionality and art form.

The 2025 Panel

• Kim Paton
  Director, Objectspace
  Kim Paton has been the director of Objectspace since 2015. Her interest is in interdisciplinary exhibition-making across the fields of craft, design, architecture, and contemporary art. 
• Simon O’Neill
  2005 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate
  Simon O’Neill is an internationally acclaimed New Zealand operatic tenor, renowned for his performances in major Heldentenor roles at prestigious venues worldwide.
• Shayne Carter
  2020 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate
  Shayne Carter is a seminal figure in New Zealand's music scene, known for his work with Straitjacket Fits and Dimmer. He is also an acclaimed author. 
• Felicity Milburn
  Lead Curator, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū
  Felicity Milburn is the Lead Curator at Christchurch Art Gallery, collaborating with artists on a diverse range of projects, from temporary installations to large-scale survey exhibitions.
• Briar Grace-Smith
  2000 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate
  Briar Grace-Smith is a distinguished screenwriter, director, and playwright of Ngāti Hau descent. Her works, including the acclaimed play Purapurawhetu, have garnered national and international recognition.
• Nigel Borell
  2021 Moment in Time He Momo Recipient 
  Nigel Borell is a Māori artist and curator, known for his groundbreaking exhibition Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art. He is also a lecturer in Māori art history at the University of Auckland. 
• Peter Robinson
  2016 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate
  Peter Robinson is a prominent New Zealand artist of Kāi Tahu descent. His provocative works explore themes of ethnicity, identity, and authenticity, and he serves as an associate professor at the University of Auckland. 

Laureate Criteria 

ELIGIBILITY
The recipient must be a practising New Zealand artist (a New Zealand citizen, working anywhere in the world) 

QUALITIES (must have):
Be committed to career in the arts
Be outstanding artist in their field
Have a substantial body of work of which the standard is world class

IMPACT (must have 2 of 3)
The award must enable the artist to make a significant next step in their career
The artist – and their practice – has a cultural impact on Aotearoa New Zealand
The artist – and their practice – make a significant contribution to their sector and/or community.