The award was established in 2001 and embraces the rich history of pottery in West Auckland. Since its inception, the award has maintained an inclusive framework, enabling practitioners with wide-ranging practices to enter. 

EXHIBITION
21 NOV 2025 – 8 FEB 2026

2025 Finalists
Alex Jones, Amanda Kemp, Andrea Du Chatenier, Anna Crichton, Annette Bull, Arapeta Hākura & Ziggy Raven, Becky Richards, Chuck Joseph, Eva During (Eva Ding), Evelyn Hodowany, Fleur Palmer, Francoise Padellec, Jaime Jenkins, Janna van Hasselt, Jess Nicholson, Jo Raill Julie Cromwell, Kate Fitzharris, Maak Bow, Margaret MacDonald, Mariska De Jager, Mel Ford, Naomi Allan, Peter Lange, Peter Collis, Rebecca Flowerday, Rebecca Steedman, Riccardo Scott, Sam Ireland, Sam Dickenson, Sandra Te Awhitu Kerr, Scott Brough, Sha Ganjali, Stuart Newby, Thomas Baker, Toby Twiss

Judge of the 2025 Portage Ceramic Awards

We are delighted to announce that Fiona Jack has been selected as the judge of the 2025 Portage Ceramic Awards. Jack has selected the finalists and will present the awards at the prestigious launch event on 20 November, hosted at Te Uru Contemporary Gallery.

Of her appointment, Jack says:

‘Clay is a compelling medium—ubiquitous across millennia, yet continually reshaped with new form and purpose through the hands of each generation. I am humbled and honoured to be the judge for the 2025 Portage Ceramic Awards, an annual event that holds a special place in Aotearoa’s cultural landscape. It is a privilege to contribute to a tradition that honours both the deep history of clay in West Auckland and the breadth of contemporary practice across the motu. I look forward to celebrating the vitality and innovation of ceramics today, and I thank Te Uru for entrusting me with this meaningful role.’

Fiona Jack is an artist and educator based in Tāmaki Makaurau. She is Head of School and Associate Professor at Elam School of Fine Arts, Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland, where she has taught since 2007. Fiona’s artistic practice ranges from large-scale public commissions to collaborative projects grounded in social exchange. Significant solo exhibitions include 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘶𝘯𝘵, Glasgow Women’s Library, Glasgow (2018); 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘥, Artspace Aotearoa, Tāmaki Makaurau (2018); 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘓𝘢𝘸, Commonwealth & Council, Los Angeles (2016); and 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, Ngāmotu New Plymouth (2010). Fiona has also curated exhibitions including 𝘌𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘋𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴: 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺, Gus Fisher Gallery, Tāmaki Makaurau (2009). She holds an MFA from CalArts and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Westminster.

This exhibition was made possible with the support of TTCF, The Trusts and the Te Uru Benefactors Collective (TBC)