George Watson awarded the Jann Medlicott Award for Contemporary Art 2026
The Acorn Foundation is delighted to announce that Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, Gisborne artist George Watson (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Mutunga) has been awarded the 2026 Jann Medlicott Award for Contemporary Art.
The $30,000 biennial award, delivered in partnership with Toi Tauranga Art Gallery, celebrates artists whose work is making a meaningful impact within contemporary art in Aotearoa. The 2026 award marks the inaugural presentation of this significant new national art prize.
The award was established through a generous bequest from Tauranga philanthropist Dr Jann Medlicott, whose lifelong passion for the arts helped shape a remarkable legacy of support for artists and writers across New Zealand. Through her gift to the Acorn Foundation, the award will continue to recognise and encourage excellence in contemporary art for generations to come.
George Watson received the award for her exhibition Apologia, presented at Wellington’s Robert Heald Gallery from 7–30 August 2025. The exhibition explored themes of invasion and ancestry through a striking combination of symbolic materials including wool bale sacking, pins, cultivated sea pearls and paraffin wax, creating powerful works that reflect on history, identity and memory.
(1) George Watson, photography by Tink Lockett. (2) Apologia, installation view, courtesy the artist and Robert Heald Gallery, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, photography by Russell Kleyn.
As part of the award, Watson will present a major exhibition at Toi Tauranga Art Gallery, opening in November 2026.
The judging panel included Andrew Clifford, Director of Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui; Sophie Davis, Director of Te Whare Toi o Heretaunga Hastings Art Gallery; and John Vea, Ōtautahi Christchurch academic and artist.
Speaking about receiving the award, Watson said: “I am incredibly honoured to be awarded the first iteration of the Jann Medlicott Award for Contemporary Art. It has been a privilege to meet some of Jann’s close friends and hear more about her love of, and ongoing support for, the arts in Aotearoa. This generous award will undoubtedly have a hugely positive impact on my work and the development of my artistic practice as well as the practices of future recipients.”
(3) The Matriarch (detail), 2025, courtesy the artist and Robert Heald Gallery, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, photography by Russell Kleyn.
Dr Jann Medlicott was widely recognised for her commitment to supporting the arts and literature in Aotearoa. Through the Acorn Foundation, her generosity continues to create opportunities for artists and strengthen the cultural life of our communities.
The Jann Medlicott Award for Contemporary Art reflects Jann’s belief in the importance of creative expression and the role the arts play in shaping how we understand ourselves and our shared history.
The Acorn Foundation congratulates George Watson on this outstanding achievement and looks forward to seeing her exhibition at Toi Tauranga Art Gallery later this year.