The Friends sponsor prizes as a way of supporting the gallery and encouraging and inspiring the love of arts in the student community.

Artarama - a festival of South Canterbury student art

Artarama is a festival of South Canterbury student art and features a wonderland of art by students aged 5 to 18. Around $2,000 worth of prizes are up for grabs, which are sponsored by various community organisations. The Friends sponsor a $50 prize and give a free Friends membership to inspire students.

Polychrome - artworks from students at the Timaru Aoraki Polytechnic

For many years, the Friends sponsored prizes at The Polychrome art exhibition, which was held at the Aigantighe Art Gallery every year. They featured artworks from students at the Timaru Aoraki Polytechnic. The exhibition was an opportunity for students and graduates to show off their creative wares from throughout the year, usually with about 60 works from 50 students, featuring a variety of media ranging from water colour paintings to mixed media, DVD and video pieces. The Friends had sponsored a $100 prize and included a Friends membership to recognise a key student's potential as an artist. With the closing of the arts education at the local polytechnic, the annual events came to an end.