PRIVACY - IS the information i supply with my entry protected?
Any personal information provided to the Tasman National Art Awards is confidential and will only be used for its intended purpose. We will never rent, loan, trade or sell your information, nor share it for any unauthorised purpose.
Purchasing works - can I pay with a credit card?
We don’t have credit card facilities during the exhibition but you can pay with EFTPOS or cash. There is an NBS ATM machine right by the entrance to Mapua Community Hall on Aranaui Rd, Mapua.
Is there a minimum price for the works?
We haven’t set a minimum price for the works.
COMMISSION
We deduct a 30% commission from the price of every painting sold.
Why don’t you allow photos, digital or 3D work?
We feel there are plenty of specific shows and awards for these mediums. We have limited space for display and a wide array of disciplines also makes judging far more difficult.
Why can I only enter Two works?
The show takes place in Mapua Community Hall so we have room for about 115 works displayed to their best advantage. Limiting to two entries allows us to make sure quality is high and everyone’s work is well displayed.
What’s a “D” Ring
We need your picture to arrive ready to hang using a pair of D Rings. They are screwed into both sides of the back of a picture frame and provide an anchor point on which picture cord can be looped through. The picture cord or wire is then used to hang the frame on the wall with a picture hook.
Why should I add swing tags?
We accept over 100 works of art for hanging during the busy run-up to the exhibition. We need to make sure that, once your work is unwrapped and packaging is filed away for re-use, we know the work’s title, the artist and the price so we can represent your work correctly. The string must be long enough to flip over and be seen on the front of the painting while we hang and then flipped to the back once we have the painting hung and the labelling correct. Clear instructions are given on the APPLICATION FORM. We ask all our successful artists to please make sure they add swing tags securely to their works so that we can correctly identify them. Samples of a correctly attached swing tag attached to the back of the work and flipped over to the front are shown below.
Do I have to be a New Zealander to enter?
Any artist living and working in New Zealand is welcome to enter whether they’re a Kiwi or not!
PHOTOGRAPHY - advice for artists
Please make sure you provide high quality images to support your entry. It is hard for the selection committee to choose works based on poor quality images.
Many professional photographers offer an art photography service. If you want to shoot your work yourself you should bear in mind the following advice:
Don’t use a flash and make sure your lens is clean. With glazed works, try and photograph them BEFORE framing. Photograph in bright, indirect daylight. Avoid shooting in direct sunlight. If you must use artificial light use a daylight bulb source. The camera should be straight and focused at the centre of your painting and the work itself should be straight - ie: not leant against a wall. Use a tripod if you have one. Use a low ISO (no more than 200) so that the shot isn’t grainy. With good, even daylight this should be perfectly possible. Pay attention to what surrounds your work - a clear background is best. Crop the photo in your editing software to get rid of extraneous detail.
Take the photo into your editing software and balance the image to match your work as closely as possible. Within your editing software you should be able to SAVE AS and rename the image - use your name and the title of the work as the image name.
Send us a high resolution image at 300dpi. Please try and stay under 5mb per image. Please bear in mind that the photos will be used both in the selection process and also in the catalogue so they need to be of sufficient quality.
NO WATERMARKS PLEASE
When you provide photos please don’t watermark them. We cannot use them to promote the show or the award winners if they are watermarked.
PACKAGING YOUR WORK
You can use a packaging and courier service such as Pack and Send who specialise in shipping and insuring artworks or package the work yourself.
PLEASE NOTE that the same packing will be used to return your work if it is not sold. Please make sure the packaging is both robust and re-usable.
DO NOT FORGET TO INCLUDE THE RETURN POSTAGE DETAILS AND ANY COURIER TICKETS WITH YOUR PACKAGE.
Why does the show take place in Mapua?
Mapua is a great spot to visit, it’s close to Nelson and the convenience of Nelson Airport. We attract lots of visitors from within New Zealand and overseas every year. We are also a creative hub with some wonderful galleries, artists’ studios and artisan/makers in the region.
What else is there to do locally if I come and stay?
Many kilometres of safe cycling on well-maintained paths on the Tasman Great Taste Trail. There are bike hire (electric and conventional) facilities at Mapua Wharf and also a ferry that takes people and their bikes on the short hop across to Rabbit Island. Beaches and the outdoor life are big attractions for visitors.
The Village Mall (just down from the Hall where the exhibition takes place) has a “4 Square” and “Mapua Village Bakery” for a choice of delicious cakes, snacks, light meals and drinks.
The busy Wharf at Mapua has restaurants, bars, fish and chips and ice creams alongside galleries and homeware shops. Right on the Waimea Estuary looking out to sea, the Wharf is always lively and is now pedestrianised most of the day so safe for children to run about.
Close by, about 15 minutes drive time, is The Moutere - another creative hub, visit Moutere Artisan’s site for details of the many attractions packed into this small region. Upper Moutere village is worth a visit for “The Old Post Office” and the “Katie Gold and Owen Bartlett Pottery”. Many wineries are dotted all around the region and a lot of them offer tastings and/or food depending on the time of year you visit, please check their individual websites or visit Taste Wine Nelson. There are heaps of accommodation options from budget camping in the heart of Mapua right by the sea to high-end lodges. Every year we welcome thousands of visitors to our beautiful region - we hope you decide to enter the Awards and perhaps come down and visit for the exhibition - make a holiday of it!