First established in 2022, The FAME Mid-Career Awards (the Awards) is an annual initiative aimed at honouring and supporting outstanding talent in the performing arts community of Aotearoa. Sizable cash gifts are awarded to performing artists (across Contemporary Dance, Classical Music, and Theatre), Producing, Stage Management, Production, Design and Technical professionals.

Since its establishment, PANNZ has been privileged to honour fourteen practitioners through the Awards with a total of NZ$210,000.

2025 Nomination Details

NOMINATIONS OPEN
Nominations are now open for The FAME Mid-Career Awards in 2025.

SUBMIT A NOMINATION: https://forms.gle/YiZdfxQvKCxHSKAE9
 

Nominations close: 5pm Friday 31 January 2025 (recipients will be announced at the PANNZ Arts Market 2025)

THE AWARD CATEGORIES
In 2025 a total of six awards will be given, each with a cash prize of NZ$20,000.

We accept nominations for:

Artistic Awards (3 awarded from any of the below)

• Contemporary Dance: dancers, choreographers, kapa haka performers
• Classical Music: composers, conductors, instrumentalists, taonga puoro
• Theatre: actors, directors, playwrights

Technical and Producing Awards (3 awarded from any of the below)

• Technicians/Production/Design professionals – lighting designers, theatre technicians, costume designers, sound and set designers
• Producers and Stage Managers
   

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Each nomination is assessed across the following criteria:

1. Meet the criteria of being a professional mid-career** artist, producer, designer, stage manager or technician, who works in the industry full time as a professional. i.e. this is your career.
2. Demonstrated Excellence
3. Audience response to work (this criteria does not apply to the Technical Awards)
4. Innovation in their field
5. Engaged in other Industry mahi (i.e. mentors, supports others in the industry, creates pathways for others etc)
6. Awareness and Advocacy (i.e. an industry community leader/supporter in addressing industry issues)

All nominations are reviewed by a diverse industry panel (7 people), who have expertise in the disciplines. Nominations are independently assessed and the panel comes together to discuss the rankings and bring further discussion and a consensus is reached as to who the successful nominees will be. For any questions about or further information on the award please email info@pannz.org.nz

** Mid-career is determined through evidence of working professionally in the industry for a minimum of ten years and are recognised by industry peers as producing work of a high calibre. It is not determined by age, but at what point you are in your career.

The awards are made possible by the generosity of private Tauranga-based philanthropic donors who make up The FAME Trust (Fund for Acting and Musical Endeavours).

Founded in 2007, The FAME Trust has long provided support for young and mid-career artists, plus funded national organisations like the NZSO, Toi Whakaari NZ Drama School and the NZ School of Dance, and local groups such as Opus Orchestra, Youth Philharmonic and BOP Symphonia.

The Acorn Foundation is a community foundation based in the Western Bay of Plenty that enables generous people to make a bigger impact in their communities, by investing the funds and distributing the returns to causes that matter – forever. Thanks to the generosity of local donors, since Acorn was established in 2003, the foundation has distributed more than $13 million to the community. Find out more about the Acorn Foundation at: www.acornfoundation.org.nz

Previous Awards Recipients

Follow the hyperlinks below for details of that year's award recipients.

• Rodney Bell (2022, Artist Award, NZ$15,000)
• Amanaki Lelei Prescott-Faletau (2022, Artist Award)
• Tupe Lualua (2022, Artist Award)
• Ben Crowder (2023, Artist Award, NZ$15,000)
• Tānemahuta Gray (2023, Artist Award, NZ$15,000)
• Hannah Smith (2023, Artist Award, NZ$15,000)
• Jane Hakaraia (2023, Technical Award, NZ$15,000)
• Rowan Pierce (2023, Technical Award, NZ$15,000)
• Claire Cowan (2024, Artist Award, NZ$15,000)
• Bianca Hyslop (2024, Artist Award, NZ$15,00)
• Malia Johnston (2024, Artist Award, NZ$15,000)
• Anapela Polata’ivao (2024, Artist Award, NZ$15,000)
• Natasha James (2024, Technical Award, NZ$15,000)
• Posenai Mavaega (2024, Technical Award, NZ$15,000)