Artists around the country are beginning to take note of the magic happening within the Whakatane arts community.

Local organisers of the 2018 Molly Morpeth Canaday Award – 3D are delighted to report a record number of entries in this year's competition.

Following the closure of entries last week, 233 works have been submitted and processed for judging preselection, which is more than double the number of entries for last year's awards.

Molly Morpeth Canaday Award Coordinator Heather Hourigan says it's encouraging to see that artists have responding strongly to the new scheduling of the 3D award in February.

'Entries have come from all over the country, with particularly large numbers coming from Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin.

'There is an excellent contingent of local artists in the mix too, with over 50 Bay of Plenty artists entering the award,” she says.

Entries are now being processed by Molly Morpeth Canaday Award organisers and will soon be passed on to preselection judges Deborah Crowe, Scott Eady and Jasmine Te Hira.

The sole guest judge, Deborah Crowe, will select the final eight award winners in February, ahead of the 17 February exhibition opening and awards ceremony at Te Koputu a te whanga a Toi – Whakatane Library and Exhibition Centre.

Whakatane District Council Museum and Arts Director Eric Holowacz says his team is working hard, in partnership with Arts Whakatane, to innovate and grow the 3D award arts programme.

'With new creative development workshops planned at the local level, our largest number of applications from around the country, and increased award prizes, the 2018 3D event and exhibition should be the most interesting ever."

The 2018 Molly Morpeth Canady Award – 3D is presented by Arts Whakatane and Whakatane Museum and Arts.

The programme is made possible by the generous support of the Molly Morpeth Canaday Trust, established by Frank Canaday in memory of his wife Molly Morpeth Canaday.

The trust has been a major supporter of the arts in Whakatāne for over 25 years.

'We invite the community to join us on Saturday, February 17, to experience contemporary creativity and a diverse range of sculpture, objects, and three-dimensional art from across Aotearoa,” says Eric. 'And thanks to over 200 participating artists and all of our generous supporters, we can look forward to experiencing something truly magical in our galleries."