Young Auckland Artists Take the Spotlight at the 2026 Pat Hanly Creativity Awards

The Pat Hanly Creativity Awards 2026 are currently on display at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, celebrating the creativity and artistic voices of secondary school students across Auckland.

This year, more than 1,000 students from 29 schools took part in the awards, with 34 selected artworks chosen for exhibition at Auckland Art Gallery.

The theme for 2026 is:

"Ko au te taiao | I am the environment"

Students were encouraged to explore their relationship with the environment through their own experiences, ideas and creative expression. The selected artworks reflect themes such as nature, identity, land, water and the world around us.

Why This Exhibition Is Worth Visiting with Young Artists

For children and teenagers learning art, seeing work created by other young artists can be incredibly inspiring.

It shows them that art is not only about technical drawing skills. Art can also be a way to communicate ideas, emotions and personal experiences.

Visiting exhibitions like the Pat Hanly Creativity Awards can encourage young artists to:

• Explore their own ideas and creative voice
• Experiment with different materials and techniques
• Think about the meaning behind their artwork
• Gain confidence in presenting their own creative work
• See what other students of a similar age are creating

At ET Art, we believe exposure to different styles, artists and exhibitions is an important part of developing creativity. Learning from professional artists is valuable, but seeing what other young artists are achieving can sometimes be just as motivating.

Exhibition Details

Pat Hanly Creativity Awards 2026

📍 Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
📅 On now until 13 September 2026
🎟️ Free entry

If your child enjoys drawing, painting or creative art, this is a great Auckland exhibition to visit while it is still on.