Local artist Ruby Burke has taken first place at this year’s Wānaka Arts Labour Weekend Exhibition awards.

The exhibition is running at the Lake Wānaka Centre until Sunday (October 24) and Ruby received her award at the exhibition’s opening night on Friday (October 22) alongside winners in other categories.

Nineteen-year-old Ruby told the Wānaka App she was thrilled to receive the award - selected from more than 100 works from artists working in a range of disciplines - for her piece ‘The Lily Princess’. 

She said it was “just amazing” to be recognised in her hometown, especially given she had been exhibiting with Wānaka Arts since she was 12 or 13-years-old.

Wānaka Arts’ representative Whitney Oliver said judges Marc Blake (Broker Gallery) and Stacey Butler (Milford Galleries) deliberated carefully to select this year's winners.

Ruby is primarily a self taught artist, having discovered her love of art after a visit to her school from a local artist when she was just 10-years-old. 

She recently held a 20-piece exhibition locally, which aimed to bring beauty from around the world to Wānaka for people experiencing wanderlust during Covid-19.

See also: ‘Exhibition brings beauty from around the world to Wānaka’

The exhibition, which took place in August, had “a lot of support which was amazing,” Ruby said.

Following her win Ruby plans to continue with her art in 2020: “I hope to keep exhibiting and work on commissions and get into some galleries in Dunedin and further afield”.

Ruby received $3,000 for the first prize overall award, and six other artists received awards.

The Shona Johnstone Memorial overall runner-up went to Teresa Chin, who received $2,000 for her piece ‘Go to the Water’.

Five highly commended certificates went to Anique Williams with ‘Cheeky Kea’, Max de Roy with ‘Flower Study’, Mehrdad Tahan with ‘Seize the Day’; Nic Cockram with ‘Bauhaus and Background’, and Sally-Mae Hudson with ‘Te Araroa o Te Waipounamu’ (Linocut Print).

Wanaka Artist Nic Cockram with his highly commended artwork 'Bauhaus and Background' (top right)

Whitney said there would also be a viewer’s choice award, worth $300, given at the end of the weekend. 

The Wānaka Arts Labour Weekend Exhibition continues today (Saturday October 23) and tomorrow (Sunday October 24), between 9am-5pm. Entry is $5.

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PHOTOS: Wānaka App