The Michèle Whitecliffe Art Writing Prize seeks to foster debate and encourage participation in an evolving conversation about the visual arts. Supported by Michèle Whitecliffe and established in memory of her late husband, Greg Whitecliffe, the Prize’s aim is to draw out critical voices that refresh and strengthen discussions about New Zealand and international art.
An independent judge selects the winner and two runners-up. The winner receives a $2,500 prize and their text is published in the November 2025 issue of Art Toi. The runners-up see their texts published on the Articles page of the Gallery’s website.
Each year a theme is set to prompt writers’ thinking. In 2025, the theme is: The Visual Arts and Democracy.
Read more about this year’s theme and judge below.
Entries open Monday 31 March 2025 and close Friday 1 August 2025.
THEME – THE VISUAL ARTS AND DEMOCRACY
In an era in which established democracies around the world are facing instability, active and inclusive participation in society is crucial. Strong democratic systems thrive on the voices of their people being heard and on collective engagement. Art has long been at the heart of political life – persuading, empowering and fostering vital dialogue.
In his groundbreaking work Art as Experience (1934), American philosopher John Dewey argued that art is not just a form of expression but the most powerful mode of communication – one that unites people through shared emotions and experiences. Art amplifies voices, challenges injustice and ignites necessary conversations. Its transformative power makes it an essential force in upholding and revitalising democratic societies. Art’s role in democracy can go beyond creation, becoming a catalyst for societal renewal and the protection of freedoms.
JUDGE
Hannah Mathews is Director/CEO of the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA). Over the last 20 years she has held key curatorial positions at Monash University Museum of Art, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Next Wave, The South Project and the Biennale of Sydney.
Hannah’s recent curatorial projects include Shelley Lasica: WHEN I AM NOT THERE (2022); Vivienne Binns: On and through the surface (2022); D Harding: Through a lens of visitation (2021); Agatha Gothe-Snape: The Outcome is Certain (2020); Shapes of Knowledge, MUMA (2019); and Alicia Frankovich & Lili Reynaud Dewar (2018).
Hannah graduated with a Master of Art Curatorship from the University of Melbourne in 2002 and has completed curatorial residencies in New York, Berlin, Tokyo and Venice. She has taught in curatorial programmes at Melbourne University, Monash University and RMIT University, Melbourne, and has held various board positions, including National Association for the Visual Arts, City of Melbourne Arts & Culture and International Art Space, Perth. Her publication, To Note: Notation Across Disciplines won the inaugural Cornish Family Book Prize for Art and Design Publishing in 2018.
Hannah Matthews, the 2025 judge.
