Central Otago Arts

24/09/2026

Visit the Central Stories Museum & Art Gallery to see the 2026 Central Otago Art Society Blossom Festival Exhibition, on display now until October 2. Open daily from 10 am to 4 pm.

16/09/2026

A huge congratulations to Rufus Irons from Arrowtown School, who has taken out first place in the Checketts McKay Law Years 7–8 category with his story, 'The Postmaster' and congratulations to the Highly Commended young writers:
Eloise Crockford-Andrew from Arrowtown School, for 'Lies'.
Tom Gibson-Padfield from Mount Aspiring College, for 'Jeremy and the Snowcapped Mountains'.
Damsara Kangara from Mount Aspiring College, for 'Sticky Forest'.
Chloe Biemond from Clyde Primary School, for 'The Long Stalk'.
Charlie Baumgren from Mount Aspiring College, for 'The 82nd Passenger'.
Josie Settle from Cromwell College, for 'She Lives in Memories'.

We’re excited to announce our next winner in the Checketts McKay Short Story Competition 2026!

A huge congratulations to Rufus Irons from Arrowtown School, who has taken out first place in the Years 7–8 category with his story, The Postmaster.

The judges praised Rufus’s story as “original and inventive, and beautifully constructed.”

We’d also like to congratulate our Highly Commended young writers:

Eloise Crockford-Andrew – Arrowtown School, for Lies
Tom Gibson-Padfield – Mount Aspiring College, for Jeremy and the Snowcapped Mountains
Damsara Kangara – Mount Aspiring College, for Sticky Forest
Chloe Biemond – Clyde Primary School, for The Long Stalk
Charlie Baumgren – Mount Aspiring College, for The 82nd Passenger
Josie Settle – Cromwell College, for She Lives in Memories

A big thank you to every student who entered, and to the schools, teachers and families who encouraged our young writers to get involved.

Pictured below are Rufus and Eloise from Arrowtown School at their presentation. Congratulations to you both on a fantastic achievement!

Want to read The Postmaster and all of the Highly Commended stories? Check out the link in the comments below.

Stay tuned – there are more winners still to come!

16/09/2026

Announcing the first winners of the Checketts McKay Short Story Competition 2026!
Congratulations Emma Bartlett from Omakau School for winning first place in the Years 5–6 category with her story, 'Mystery in Omakau' and to the three Highly Commended young writers: Tarn Yeoman from St. Gerard's Primary School in Alexandra for 'The Obelisk', Madison Speight from Cromwell Primary School for 'The Monster', Edie Harkness from Goldfields Primary School for 'The Big Fruit'!
Stay tuned for announcements about the winners in other school categories!

We’re delighted to announce the first winner of the Checketts McKay Short Story Competition 2026!

A huge congratulations to Emma Bartlett from Omakau School who has taken out first place in the Years 5–6 category with her story, Mystery in Omakau.

For her winning story, Emma received a $100 Prezzy Card and Omakau Primary School received $250!

We’d also like to congratulate our three Highly Commended young writers:

Tarn Yeoman – St Gerards Primary School - Alexandra, for The Obelisk
Madison Speight – Cromwell Primary School, for The Monster
Edie Harkness – Goldfields Primary School, for The Big Fruit

Well done to Emma, Tarn, Madison and Edie – and to every young writer and school who entered in this category. Our judges had a fantastic collection of stories to read. It was wonderful to see so much creativity and imagination from students across our region.

Want to read their stories? We’ll pop the link in the comments below.

Stay tuned as we announce the winners of our other school categories!

20/08/2026

Currently in residence at Henderson House is painter, jeweller and printmaker John Z Robinson. John has braved the Central Otago climes and developed a glorious body of work which speaks of the interior and exterior world in and around Alexandra. Hopefully, we can look forward to a show of these works at Central Stories Museum & Art Gallery in the new year!

19/08/2026

Applications for the Central Otago Art Society Emerging Artist Scholarship close on September 6, 2026.

This $5,000 scholarship is designed to support artists in the early stages of their creative practice. It can be used for various professional development opportunities, including mentorship or specialised tutoring, workshops and courses, materials and supplies, limited-term studio space and exhibition costs related to professional development.
The scholarship is open to visual artists of any age who have a connection to Central Otago.
For eligibility criteria, details, and the full Terms and Conditions, please visit:

Celebrating the Arts in Central Otago The Central Otago Art Society is a vibrant, creative community that exists to foster, develop, and encourage a love of art in all its forms. Since our beginnings, we’ve been committed to providing opportunities for artists and art lovers to connect, learn,

12/08/2026

I popped into Central Stories Museum & Art Gallery to check out the Winterstellar Astrophotography Exhibition for 2026. Every year, Andy and a group of night sky photographers collaborate to create something truly special and impressive. This year is certainly no exception! The exhibition is open daily from 10 AM to 4 PM. Make sure you get along and take a look.

11/08/2026

WoolOn Creative Fashion Event will host a Community Expo at Central Stories Museum & Art Gallery on Sunday 30 August. Get along to view the winning WoolOn garments up close and hear directly from the panel of judges as they share their thoughts on this year’s designs and what made the standout entries so special.
Join in on craft workshops and get hands-on while learning new skills through a range of interactive wool and fibre workshops, including a two-hour Putiputi Harakeke workshop, where you can explore the traditional art of working with harakeke. You can also browse boutique stalls showcasing wool garments, yarns, beautiful fibre products and local wool craftsmanship - there’ll be plenty to discover and take home!
It’s the perfect way to finish your WoolOn weekend, meet creative makers, learn something new and dive deeper into the world of “paddock to person” fashion.

04/08/2026

Applications for the next Creative Communities Central Otago Funding round close this Friday, August 7 at 4pm. For further information and to apply, follow this link: https://www.codc.govt.nz/services/funding-grants -link-4

03/08/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who entered this year's Short Story competition. We have been blown away by the response and are incredibly grateful to everyone who shared their creativity, imagination and love of storytelling with us.

One of the highlights has been seeing entries arrive from right across Aotearoa New Zealand. From the North Island to the bottom of the South Island, it's been wonderful to see so many writers take part.

Now the judging begins! Our judges have the difficult task of reading through all of the entries before selecting this year's winners.

Thank you again to everyone who entered. We wish all of our entrants the very best of luck.