Arts Foundation of New Zealand

The Arts Foundation of New Zealand is an honours system that celebrates the living icons of New Zealand arts.

Every two years the Arts Foundation honours leading arts practitioners as Icon Artists. In 2003 an inaugural ten Icon Artists were appointed. In time there will be a living circle of up to twenty icon artists.

Each Icon Artist receives a medallion and pin designed by stone sculptor John Edgar. The artist keeps the pin in perpetuity, while the medallion, following the artist's death, will be presented to a successor at subsequent Icon Awards ceremonies. The mana of each Award will increase significantly over time as the medallions are passed down through generations of our finest artists.

The Icon Awards give New Zealanders the opportunity to identify those artists who have excelled as contributors to this country's cultural identity or represented New Zealand on the world stage. The Awards ceremony enables us to thank the Icon Artists for their contributions and to celebrate their achievements with them.

The laureates each receive a $30,000 cash grant.

Contact: admin@artsfoundation.org.nz