The Adam Portraiture Award is Aotearoa’s most prestigious and popular portraiture prize.
This biennial competition for painted portraits is held at The New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata and generously sponsored by the Adam Foundation. The Adam Portraiture Award is a major touring exhibition which gives contemporary portrait artists the opportunity to have their work shown on the national stage. It plays an important role in recording the changing face of Aotearoa.
The first venue of the 2026 nationwide tour is TE ATAMIRA in Tāhuna Queenstown.
Provisional tour dates and venues
| Dates | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 29 August - 10 November 2026 | Te Atamira | Queenstown |
| Nov 2026 - Jan 2027 (Dates TBC) | Marlborough Art Gallery | Blenheim |
| 12 February - 31 March 2027 | Mahara, The Cromwell Memorial Events Centre | Cromwell, Otago |
| 20 April - 19 July 2027 | Hawke’s Bay Museum | Napier |
| 31 July - 26 September 2027 | Percy Thomson Gallery | Stratford, Taranaki |
| 25 November 2027 - 16 January 2028 | The Arts House Trust | Auckland |