Craigs Aspiring Art Prize - Selected Finalist
At the beginning of the year, I made myself a promise: to say yes to more opportunities, show up in new ways and allow my work to be truly seen.
Entering the 2026 Craigs Aspiring Art Prize was part of that promise. It was my first time entering, so I was absolutely thrilled to learn that my painting, Horizons That Hold Us Together, had been selected as a finalist and one of only 150 artworks chosen for the exhibition.
A nationally recognised New Zealand art award
Held annually in Wānaka, the Craigs Aspiring Art Prize brings together original work from artists throughout New Zealand. The event is also the principal fundraiser for Holy Family Catholic School and includes a significant acquisition prize alongside several other awards.
To have my work selected for such a highly regarded exhibition felt like a meaningful milestone, particularly among so many talented New Zealand artists.
Horizons That Hold Us Together
Horizons That Hold Us Together is a richly textured cloud and seascape painting exploring shifting light, immense skies and the quiet sense of connection we can experience in nature.
Like much of my recent work, the painting is less about depicting a particular place and more about capturing an emotional landscape. It reflects those fleeting moments when light breaks through changing skies and the horizon seems to offer both stillness and possibility.
Although I was not there in person, a lovely friend sent me a photo (below) from the opening night.
Continuing to say yes
Recognition like this encourages me to keep taking creative risks and putting my paintings forward for opportunities that once might have felt beyond reach.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who has followed, encouraged and supported my work. Every message, conversation and shared response to a painting helps make this journey possible.
This experience reinforced something important for me: sometimes progress begins with a quiet decision to say yes, send the application and let the work be seen.
