Portage Ceramic Awards 2026
Ceramic Awards. Get your entry in, and encourage others to apply.
Apply HERE via our online application portal where you will be prompted through the application process. Please read through the Terms and Conditions bellow before starting your application.
Entries close at midnight on the 8 JUN
This years Judge is Richard Fahey, senior lecturer in Design and Contemporary Arts at Unitec, Auckland. Richard has attended all but one of the 24 iterations of the Awards to date. He is not only well versed in contemporary art practice in Aotearoa but has a passion and deep understanding of clay practices.

We are delighted to have Richard as the 2026 Portage Ceramic Awards judge.
Richard Fahey is a senior lecturer within the School of Creative Industries, Unitec, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, teaching design and contemporary art since 1992. His research is focused on the material culture of Aotearoa, looking at how objects, making practices and institutions shape the way we see and value contemporary culture. He’s interested in the intersections between education, critical discourse, collecting and display, and how those systems affect artists and audiences. Richard has a particular interest in contemporary ceramics and has been commissioned by Objectspace to curate the exhibitions: 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 (2008), 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳: 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵 (2010), 𝘛𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘌𝘱𝘪𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘏𝘢𝘸𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘣𝘺 (2020), and 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘵 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘰𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳 (2024).
Entries for the awards open on the 17th of April and close on the 8th June. Please see all key dates below.
17 APR : Entries Open
8 JUN: Entries Close
4 AUG : Finalists Contacted
4 SEP : Finalists Works due at Te Uru
5 OCT: Finalists Publicly Announce
3 DEC: Opening/Awards Night
5 DEC: Judges Floor Talk
Terms and Conditions
This exhibition was made possible with the support of TTCF, The Trusts and the Te Uru Benefactors Collective (TBC)
PORTAGE 2026 TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. Entrants must be New Zealand residents. If you live or work overseas but retain residency in New Zealand you are eligible provided that you supply a return New Zealand address and cover any customs duty payable and associated import costs.
2. All modes of artistic practice are accepted providing that the work is predominantly made of clay.
3. Each entrant may submit up to two entries.
4. All entries must be the original work of the entrant and must have been executed within 2 years of date of entry.
5. Joint or collective entries are permitted but all contributors must be acknowledged on the entry form and must agree to the terms and conditions.
6. An administration fee of $40.00NZD (or $60.00NZD for two entries) is payable alongside the completed entry form. The entry fee is waived for current Te Uru Members. The fee is charged per entry, not per artist.
7. All entry forms are to be accompanied by clear documentation of entries, including up to four images per entry. One image must capture the entire work. Entries that do not match submitted images will be disqualified.
8. Entrants must complete in full the online entry process.
9. All entries must be submitted in full with images and fee paid prior to 12pm (noon) on the due date. (Refer to ‘Key Dates’).
10. Late entries will not be accepted under any circumstances.
11. The Judge will make an initial selection for the exhibition from the images submitted. Finalists will be notified and requested to send their works to Te Uru at their own expense (see Item 16 below).
12. All entrants will receive notification about the final selection. Winners will be announced at the Awards Night.
13. The Judge’s decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the awards, exhibition or any decision made by the Judge.
14. Finalist works must be delivered by hand or safely packed and couriered to: Te Uru, 420 Titirangi Road, Titirangi 0604, marked ‘Portage Ceramic Awards’, and arrive at Te Uru by 4pm on the due date. (Refer to ‘Key Dates’). Packaging must be clearly labelled with the entrant’s name and details of entry. We strongly recommend including a document with entry with full details of entrant, entry, and necessary instructions for install and handling. Safety of entry during freight is the responsibility of the entrant. We strongly recommend working with a professional courier and industry-standard packing materials.
15. Te Uru and the Judge have the right to withdraw from the exhibition any work if it is considered to be significantly different from the work illustrated in submitted images and if it is of a quality considered unsuitable for exhibition.
16. Freight to and from Te Uru and transit insurance is the responsibility of the entrant. Te Uru accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage that occurs to the work during transit to the gallery. Te Uru will insure all works while on premises, to replacement value only.
17. At the end of the exhibition if a work remains unsold the entrant must arrange collection within one month of the exhibition closing. Te Uru will not store artworks if they remain uncollected after one month unless a prior arrangement has been made.
18. Entries that arrive in damaged condition will be restored at the entrant’s expense and only with their permission. Restoration is undertaken at the discretion of Te Uru, taking into account the degree of damage and time constraints.
19. Te Uru reserves the right to photograph and reproduce images of finalist works for publication, advertising and archival purposes. The online submission or signed paper entry form is evidence of the entrant’s consent.
20. All personal information gathered by Te Uru will be used solely for the purpose of administering the Portage Ceramic Awards.
21. All entries must be available for sale and will be sold at the nominated retail price, which is to be inclusive of GST.
22. Where the entrant is not represented by a dealer gallery, Te Uru will take a gross commission of 40% on all sales. If the finalist has dealer representation, Te Uru is happy to discuss split commission. The nominated retail price should be fully inclusive of all commissions and GST.
23. All entries must include necessary display systems and instructions for handling and installation. Te Uru will find the best practical display solution for each work. The gallery reserves the right to make curatorial decision regarding display of works.
24. All curatorial decisions are at the discretion of the Judge and Te Uru curators.
25. We strongly encourage all finalists to attend the Awards night and Judges floor talk.