Portraits ask us to spend time with the likeness of another person. They invite us to look beyond appearance and consider identity, relationships, memory and the many ways a person can be represented. While every portrait begins with an individual, together they become something larger: a record of the people, communities and stories that shape a place and a moment in time.

The Adam Portraiture Award is Aotearoa New Zealand’s premier award for painted portraiture. Presented biennially by the New Zealand Portrait Gallery Te Pūkenga Whakaata, the award has become one of the country’s most significant and anticipated art prizes. Since its inception in 2000, it has celebrated excellence in contemporary portraiture while creating an evolving record of Aotearoa through the people artists choose to paint. Since 2006, each winning work has been acquired into the New Zealand Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection.

Featuring works by established and emerging artists from across the country, The Adam Portraiture Award 2026 showcases the diversity of contemporary portrait painting in Aotearoa. From intimate studies of family and friends to portraits that examine culture, history, identity and belonging, the exhibition reveals the many possibilities of portraiture today. Collectively, the selected works offer a compelling snapshot of contemporary Aotearoa through the people who inhabit it.