More awards! The 2013 Arts Foundation Awards recipients, Eleanor Catton wins the Man Booker Prize, Lorde wins Silver Scroll

A beautiful vernacular photograph by Arts Foundation Award recipient Laurence Aberhart

It is a busy time of year for the arts calendar in New Zealand with Auckland Artweek in full swing and many exhibitions and events taking place everyday. The Portage award winners were announced last weekend (see previous post), last night the Arts Foundation announced the recipients of this years awards and the 2013 Silver Scrolls awards were presented and today New Zealand author Eleanor Catton will be awarded the 2013 Man Booker Prize for Fiction for her book The Luminaries. Although these things may not make the front page of any New Zealand media  it is fantastic to see visual arts and culture celebrated and recognised both here and overseas.

Winners of the Arts Foundation Awards include Laurence Aberhart, Gavin Bishop, Kushana Bush, Jane Campion, Kip Chapman, Sean James Donnelly (SJD), Dean Parker, Jono Rotman, Damien Wilkins, Megan Wraight, Mark Adams and Thomas Atkins.

The Silver Scrolls are an annual awards ceremony celebrating New Zealand music. At just 16 years of age Lorde along with co-writer/producer Joel Little took home the APRA Silver Scroll for best song-writing for their hit song ‘Royals’, which broke records by reaching the number one spot on the US Billboard charts. Dave Dobbyn was inducted into the New Zealand music hall of fame. ‘Ruaimoko’, performed by Anika Moa and Maisey Rika and written by Rika, Moa, Te Kahauta Maxwell and Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper won the Apra Maioha award, which recognises excellence in contemporary Maori music. ‘Lightbox’ composed by Karlo Margetic won the SOUNZ Contemporary award. ‘Something in the water’ by Brooke Fraser and Scott Ligertwood won the dual awards for the most performed NZ work in both this country and overseas.

At 28 Catton is the youngest author to win the Man Booker Prize which will be presented to her by the Duchess of Cornwall.