Winning stegosaurus made by Whanganui glass artists

Izaak Trewavas 8, and his brother Samuel 10, with his winning entry rendered in glass. Photo/Bevan Conley

Izaak Trewavas loves dinosaurs and the stegosaurus is his favourite.

That was why the 8-year-old chose to draw one and enter the New Zealand Glassworks design competition on Saturday.

Izaak Trwavas winning drawing. Photo/Bevan Conley

Izaak was selected as the winner in the 12 years and under category of the competition and his prize was to have his design turned in to a glass artwork for him to keep.

"I'm going to make sure I always keep it safe," he said.

Brother Samuel 10, said he was happy for Izaak although he was a bit disappointed that his own lion entry was not selected.

"It was probably a bit complex to be made in glass," said mum Katrina Trewavas.

The stegosaurus made three-dimensional by Whanganui glass artists. Photo/Bevan Conley

Duncan Smith won the 13 years and over category with his waterfall vase design.

The winning entries were recreated by glass artist Philip Stokes with assistance from a team of UCOL design students.

Adult winner Duncan Smith with his winning design being made by Philip Stokes. Photo/Bevan Conley

The competition was a celebration of NZ Glassworks' second birthday.

Gallery assistant Jaki Wilkins said it was a "fun and busy day."

"We had a lot of very good entries and the community turned out in big numbers to watch the works being made."

Whanganui District Council's charitable trust purchased the glass facility from artists Katie Brown and Lyndsay Patterson, who previously ran it as private enterprise Chronicle Glass, in 2016.

The council said the move was about keeping Whanganui's reputation as a national centre for glass art, particularly following the closure of the Wanganui Glass School in 2015.

NZ Glassworks manager Scott Redding says there have been some exhilarating experiences during the past two years.

"One of the biggest was the recent visit by Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy and her husband Sir David Gascoigne.

"Being able to give them a first-hand experience of making a paperweight and showing the wonderful glass art we exhibit was exciting.

"Having local glass artists, including UCOL students, collaborate on making the winning pieces at our birthday celebration is dynamic and very entertaining."

Redding said more than 60,000 people have visited the facility and there have been more than 100 glass workshops, 20 community events and five exhibitions.

"The gallery now showcases over 27 New Zealand glass artists and has developed its own product range."

The challenge, he says, will be keeping this momentum and ensuring the continuation of an internationally renowned glass facility and gallery for many years to come.