Invercargill City Gallery Invercargill public programme manager Georgie Keyse with the ILT Art Awards Supreme Award winner Animal Magnetism by Max Patte behind her.

A former sculptor who worked at Weta Workshop has taken out the top honour at the ILT Art Awards this year.

Max Patte was announced as the supreme winner at an awards ceremony held at City Gallery Invercargill on Friday for his lightwork piece Animal Magnetism.

Patte beat 103 finalists from throughout the country to take the award, which came with a cash prize of $6000.

Patte, a former sculptor at Weta Workshops, is renowned for his sculpture Solace in the Wind, the brass figure leaning out over the Wellington harbour.

Former City Gallery manager Gemma Baldock said there were almost 150 artworks entered into the awards this year.

The competition drew many entries this year after it was opened up to artists from throughout the country, Baldock said.

Except for the spring show that was formerly held at Anderson House, there was no other national award that Southland hosted.

Baldock was unsure when the awards were closed off to entries from outside the Southland region because it was done before her time at the gallery, she said.

The more outsiders that entered a competition, especially in Southland, brought attention and people to Southland, Baldock said.

"If we continue to do that, it will probably become one of those big awards that artists aim to enter each year."

For those who were concerned that Southlanders may be pushed out of their own awards, Baldock said that all the other winners were Southlanders.

Although she had now left the City Gallery to be the assistant curator at the Invercargill Public Gallery, she had encouraged the new public programme managerGeorgie Keyse, to continue to keep the competition open to national entries.

The ILT Art Awards exhibition is open until September 2 and the public are able to cast votes towards the final prize, the People's Choice Award.