The Molly Morpeth Canaday 3D Art Award 2016 Exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, and this year will feature a new award for local contributors.

Hamish Pettengell of Whakatane Museum and Arts says this year has seen an exceptional number of entrants and they have been of a very high standard.

Hamish Pettengell and Pam Mossman with a work by Molly Morpeth Canaday, the namesake for both the upcoming 3D Award and the January 2017 Painting and Drawing Award.

'We are really pleased to see the Award going from strength to strength,” he says, 'and we are also very pleased to see another award category added in the form of the Whakatane Society of Arts and Crafts Local Artist Award.”

The new award recognises excellence by a local artist and the Society's Exhibition Coordinator Pam Mossman says it is part of the Society's goal of supporting local creative talent.

'Molly and Frank Morpeth wanted to inspire and support artists, and we are keen to play a small role in this,” she says.

'We have some real gems of artists in our community and some of the work they produce is absolutely amazing.

"The Molly Morpeth Award has put us on the map, so we wanted to add something that would give more recognition to local artists.

"The Whakatane Molly Morpeth Trust was the only one that was not entrusted to an institution, and that is probably why we are still actively promoting and supporting artists directly with the exhibition, and the Whakatane Arts Society is honoured to be a part of maintaining that.”

The Exhibition runs from August 5 to September 18 at Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi – Whakatāne Library and Exhibition Centre; it is open weekdays 9am–5pm and weekends 10am–2pm.