Kayla received WOW’s ultimate accolade for her work Sacred Nightfall, an intricately hand-painted and stitched tapestry which summons an ethereal night goddess from the deep native forests of Aotearoa.  

With a strong global field of creatives from 18 countries, New Zealand designers had a standout showing at the 2026 WOW Awards; taking home 15 of the 25 prizes, including the competition’s top two honours.  

Kiwi husband-and-wife team Erna Van Der Wat and Karl Van Der Wat received the Runner-Up Award for Armour of Pain, inspired by Erna’s journey with chronic pain, and its transformation from tormentor to mentor - which judges described as a “fearless portrayal of pain and power”.

A 10-time WOW finalist, Waikanae-based Kayla Christensen has received six prior awards, including placing first in the Aotearoa Section in 2024 and receiving the Dame Suzie Moncrieff Award in 2019. WOW Head of Competition Sarah Nathan says judges described Sacred Nightfall as mesmerising and multilayered, rich with kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and wairua (soul).  

“Sacred Nightfall asks us to listen to what remains in the darkness and protect what still lives. The extinct whēkau and ruru hinapō are painted back into existence, restoring their memory and honouring the fragile natural world that still surrounds us,” she says.

Alongside the leading performance of New Zealand designers, multiple artists from Taiwan also enjoyed notable success this year – including student, Cheng-Hung Lin, who took the 2026 Dame Suzie Moncrieff Award; while internationally acclaimed avant-garde designers Bethany Cordwell of Australia and Cecilio Castrillo of Spain took out the Avant-garde Section and Absolutely Positively Wellington International Design Merit Award respectively.

This year's winners were selected from 108 finalist entries created by 134 designers from 18 countries.

The 2026 WOW Competition judging panel was comprised of WOW Founder, Ambassador, and Resident Judge Dame Suzie Moncrieff; NZ surrealist and expressionist painter Kate MacKenzie and Creative Director of taylor and The Shelter, Vicki Taylor.  

Congratulations to all of the incredible winners!  

2026 WORLD OF WEARABLEART™ AWARD WINNERS

Supreme WOW Award: Sacred Nightfall, Kayla Christensen, New Zealand

Supreme WOW Award Runner-up: Armour of Pain, Erna Van Der Wat & Karl Van Der Wat, New Zealand

Section winners

Open Section

Winner: More, Katherine Bertram, New Zealand

Runner-up: Spectrum of a Wallflower, Louise MacKay & Allison MacKay, New Zealand

Avant-garde Section

Winner: Hard Exterior, Alter Ego, Bethany Cordwell, Australia

Runner-up: Marginal Gravity, Chao Po-Chien, Shih Chien University, Taiwan

Aotearoa Section

Winner: Sacred Nightfall, Kayla Christensen, New Zealand

Runner-up: MOTHER VAKA, Vasemaca Tavola & Czarina Wilson, New Zealand

Metallic Section

Winner: Armour of Pain, Erna Van Der Wat & Karl Van Der Wat, New Zealand

Runner-up: The Golden Illusion, Shantanu Singh, India

Kinetic Section

Winner: Thoughts, Tracey Murphy & Isabel Costley, New Zealand

Runner-up: Lophii, Joe Blanck, Australia

Bizarre Bra Section ‍

Winner: Bust a Move, Lyndal Linton, New Zealand

Runner-up: Busted!, Katherine Bertram, New Zealand

Special awards

Ko te Tohu Toi Rākei / Toi Rākei Award: Te Whare Eke Nei, Glenda Hape, Ngāti Pūkeko, New Zealand

ALL ACCOR First-time Entrant Award: Platinum, Lisa Newsome, New Zealand

Student Distinction Award: Geomanifest, Ya-Hsuan Chen, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan

Absolutely Positively Wellington International Design Merit Award: Artemisa, Cecilio Castrillo, Spain

Sustainability Award: Hine Pō, Nathan Wharton, Ngāpuhi, Te Arawa, New Zealand

New Zealand Design Merit Award: Acantha, Tracey Vickers, New Zealand

SERKO Transformation Innovation Award: Voyager, Dinah Walker & Mark Walker, New Zealand

Wētā Workshop Outstanding Design Award: Waldschrat - Horror of the Forest, Nils Reinosch, Germany

Dame Suzie Moncrieff Award: Hu Ye the Tiger Deity, Cheng-Hung Lin, Shih Chien University, Taiwan

Great Journeys New Zealand Designer Development Award: Ece Ozalp, Turkey

SEE THEM ON THE WOW STAGE

The 2026 World of WearableArt Show: GLO! runs until 4 October at TSB Arena in Wellington.