The 2023 competition had 96 entries and 43 finalists. The judges were Steve Gibbs, Mr G (Graham Hoete) and Lisa Reihana. The winner gets a NZ$20,000 prize and runner-up gets a NZ$2,500 prize. Judges commendations and the winners were announced on May 24 2023. One of the entries,
Heke Mai, by Robert Pritchard-Blunt was created using
artificial intelligence (AI) and
Photoshop and is a picture of his maternal great-great-grandmother, Rakapa Rakapa Tarapiipipi of
Ngāti Hauā. The winning entry by Stevei Houkāmau was partly inspired by time she spent on a
Native American reservation in
New Mexico and learning about blue corn seeds that had been with people for generations. The work is about her great-great-grandmother
Hinemaurea and the wider family also. Hinemaurea was the daughter of Raramaitai and married to Te Aotaki, they had five children including Ruataupare, who was married to Tūwhakairiora (a
Ngāti Porou chief).Hinemaurea was seen to have great mana and has two existing
marae named after her, including our marae in
Wharekahika, Hicks Bay. (Stevei Houkāmau 2023) == References ==