News

  • Verb Wellington Writer’s Residency 2022 – Applications Open

    08-08-2022

    Verb Wellington and Katherine Mansfield House & Garden have come together to offer their third annual opportunity to spend time in one of the world’s most vibrant literary cities to focus on your writing. For three weeks between 23 October – 13 November 2022 you will have a dedicated writing space at Katherine Mansfield’s birthplace in Thorndon and will live in your own homey apartment in Thorndon. You will receive a stipend of $3,000NZD to support your time. We invite writers from anywhere in Aotearoa to apply. The timeframe includes Verb Writers Festival which runs between 2 – 6 November and so offers the resident an opportunity to appear in the festival.

    Applications from writers working on any of the following forms will be considered: short stories, the novel, poetry, creative non-fiction and memoir.

    Applications open 4 August and close 22 August. The successful applicant will be notified by Monday 30 August. For more information and guidelines see here.

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  • Prize Money Increased! – Entries Open for 2023 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards

    03-08-2022

     

    The New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa is now inviting submissions for the 2023 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, which promote excellence in, and provide recognition of, the best books for adult readers published annually in Aotearoa. In 2023 the total prize money package available for these prestigious awards will top $120,000. Books published between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022 will be considered for the 2023 awards. There are two submission dates. Publishers are asked to observe the guidelines for sending entries in two tranches, which are in place for ease of sending to judges.

    Submissions for titles published between 1 January 2022 and 31 August 2022 are now open and will close 5pm on Tuesday 13 September 2022. Online entries for titles published between 1 September 2022 and 31 December 2022 open on Wednesday 14 September and close 5pm on Wednesday 26 October 2022.

    Judges for the 2023 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards will be revealed in the coming weeks and their longlists for the four awards categories (fiction, poetry, general non-fiction and illustrated non-fiction) will be announced on 2 February 2023. The finalists will be announced on 8 March and the 2023 awards ceremony will be held in Auckland in mid-May, in collaboration with the Auckland Writers Festival.

    The winner of the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction will receive a minimum of $62,000 in 2023 and each of the other main category prizes will earn their winners $12,000 (up from $10,000 in recent years). Te Mūrau o te Tuhi, awarded at a judge’s discretion for a book written entirely and originally in te reo Māori will also attract a prize of $12,000 if presented. Each of the Crystal Arts Trust Best First Book winners, for fiction, poetry, general non-fiction and illustrated non-fiction, will be awarded $3000 (up from $2500).

    Click here for eligibility criteria and a Call for Entries information pack for the 2023 awards, then enter online here. For any further enquiries, please email Awards Administrator Chris Chan at awards@nzbookawards.org.nz.

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  • Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day Competition Calendar

    01-08-2022

    Rock on Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day, 26 August 2022! Here are details of competitions happening for NPD  – regional, nationwide and online, for children and adults. There will be opportunities to release your poem out into the wild! The calendar will update with new competitions so please keep checking back!
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  • CNZ Todd New Writers Bursary – open for applications

    01-08-2022

    The Todd New Writer’s Bursary 2022/23 is for projects taking place between 30 Sep 2022 – 30 Dec 2024. Round 1 will close when 250 applications have been submitted. The amount varies but may be used towards a stipend/wage that offers fair remuneration and/or production and administration costs. For more information see here. 
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  • CNZ Berlin Residency – open for applications

    01-08-2022

    This is a biennial residency for an established New Zealand writer to work on an approved project in Berlin, Germany. The residency includes an apartment in the heart of Berlin and a stipend of $40,000. This stipend is to be used for the writer’s travel to Berlin, living and material costs for up to 11 months between 30 October 2023 – 30 September 2024.  The residency is open to writers working in genres including but not limited to: autobiography/memoir, biography, children’s fiction, creative non-fiction, essays, fiction, graphic novels with a strong literary element, histories, literary criticism and poetry. Applications close 19 August 2022, 1pm. For more information see here. 

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  • 2023 Michael Gifkins Prize for an Unpublished Novel: Open for Entries

    25-07-2022

    The Michael Gifkins Prize seeks fiction manuscripts by published and unpublished authors who are citizens or permanent residents of New Zealand. It celebrates the life and work of the writer and agent Michael Gifkins. The winner will receive a publication contract for world rights from Text, and an advance of NZ $10,000. Submissions to the 2023 prize will close at midnight NZST on Thursday 14 October 2022. The shortlist will be announced in the second quarter of 2023 and the winner in the third quarter of 2023. The prize will be administered by the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc). Entry forms and terms and conditions can be found here.The Gifkins Prize is made possible by a generous financial commitment from the Gifkins family and from Text Publishing. It is administered by the NZ Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (PEN NZ) Inc. Previous winners of the Gifkins Prize are Ruby Porter, Tom Remiger, Gigi Fenster, Tom Baragwanath, and Emma Sidnam.

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  • Witi Ihimaera NZSA 2022-23 President of Honour

    02-06-2022

    The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa is delighted to announce that Witi Ihimaera is the NZSA 2022-2023 President of Honour.  This prestigious honour is bestowed on a senior writer and long-serving NZSA member in recognition of their contribution to writing and writers and the literary arts sector in Aotearoa.

    The NZSA President of Honour delivers the prestigious annual NZSA Janet Frame Memorial Lecture – an event that comments on the literary sector. NZSA will announce details of this event in 2023.

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  • Call for judges of the 2023 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards

    01-06-2022

    The organisers of the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are calling for expressions of interest from readers with adeep knowledge of New Zealand literature who would like to be considered as judges of the 2023 awards.

    Applications are invited from members of the public with relevant experience, and from the literature community. Suitable candidates may be authors, former publishers, editors, event organisers, scholars, reviewers, critics, booksellers, or librarians. The organisers particularly welcome expressions of interest from Māori applicants.

    The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards offer four principal prizes each year: the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction; the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry; the Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction; and the General Non-Fiction Award. There are also four awards for first-time authors (the Crystal Arts Trust Best First Book awards) and, at the discretion of a specially appointed judge, Te Mūrau o te Tuhi, a Māori Language Award.

    The judging of each of the four subject categories is undertaken by a panel of three judges with the relevant expertise and experience in that subject. One of the three will be appointed as convenor. The judges begin their reading in mid-September 2022.

    Potential judges may express interest directly or be nominated by members of the literature community and book industry. A panel from the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa, which comprises industry stakeholder representatives, is responsible for final selection and recruitment. Geographic, cultural and community representation, as well as relevant qualifications and experience, will all be considered in the final make-up of the panels.

    Expressions of interest forms and background information on the judging process and judges’ responsibilities can be downloaded from the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards website or supplied on request by emailing manager@nzbookawards.org.nz.

    Applications must be submitted by 5pm on Wednesday 29 June, and should include a brief resumé demonstrating the applicant’s experience for the judging role.

    The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are supported by Ockham Residential, Creative New Zealand, Jann Medlicott and the Acorn Foundation, Mary and Peter Biggs CNZM, Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand, Crystal Arts Trust and the Auckland Writers Festival.

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  • CLNZ | NZSA $25,000 Writers’ Award Open

    01-06-2022

    The CLNZ | NZSA Writers’ Award of $25,000 is one of the highest non-fiction prizes in New Zealand literature, and is now open for applications.

    The award was established to provide financial support for writers wishing to devote time to a specific project, and to cover reasonable research expenses relating to it. We encourage non-fiction writers to consider applying for this award.  Applications over the full range of non-fiction genre are welcome.  Applicants must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents. It is the clear intention of the CLNZ | NZSA Writers’ Award that a book will be published as a result of being a recipient of the award.Applications must be completed online by 4pm on Wednesday 29 June 2022. Please read the guidelines before applying. For further information or to organise an interview, please email Nicole Colmar nicole@nzauthors.org.nz or Esme Barber esme@copyright.co.nz

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  • Ockham NZ 2022 Book Awards: winners announced

    12-05-2022

    Congratulations to all the Ockham prize winning writers and their books:

    Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction
    Wellington novelist and playwright Whiti Hereaka (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue, Tūhourangi, Pākehā) has won the $60,000 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at the 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards for her book Kurangaituku – a richly imagined contemporary retelling of the traditional Te Arawa story Hatupatu and the Bird-Woman, told from the perspective of the ‘monster’ Kurangaituku. Ms Hereaka received the prize ahead of novelist, lawyer and academic Gigi Fenster (A Good Winter); debut novelist and winner of the 2019 Adam Foundation Prize Rebecca K Reilly (Greta & Valdin); and novelist, poet, literary critic and academic Bryan Walpert (Entanglement). The ceremony was held live and in person, emcee’d by Jack Tame at Q Theatre, Auckland.

    Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry
    Canterbury poet, editor and writing tutor Joanna Preston has won the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry for Tumble (Otago University Press).

    Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction
    Author and senior curator New Zealand Culture and History at Te Papa Claire Regnault won the Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction for the stunningly presented Dressed: Fashionable Dress in Aotearoa New Zealand 1840 to 1910 (Te Papa Press).

    General Non-Fiction Award
    One of this country’s most respected historians, Wellington resident Vincent O’Malley, won the General Non-Fiction Award for his work, Voices from the New Zealand Wars | He Reo nō ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa (Bridget Williams Books).

    The Poetry, Illustrated Non-Fiction and General Non-Fiction category Award winners each took home a $10,000 prize.

    Best First Book Awards

    The Hubert Church Prize for a best first book of Fiction: Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly (Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Wai) (Te Herenga Waka University Press).

    The Jessie Mackay Prize for a best first book of Poetry: Whai by Nicole Titihuia Hawkins (Ngāti Kahungunu ki te Wairoa, Ngāti Pāhauwera) (We are Babies Press).

    The Judith Binney Prize for a best first work of Illustrated Non-Fiction: The Architect and the Artists: Hackshaw, McCahon, Dibble by Bridget Hackshaw(Massey University Press).

    The E.H. McCormick Prize for a best first work of General Non-Fiction: The Alarmist: Fifty Years Measuring Climate Change by Dave Lowe (Te Herenga Waka University Press).

    Each Crystal Arts Trust Best First Book Award winner received $2,500 and a 12-month membership subscription to the New Zealand Society of Authors.

    The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are supported by Ockham Residential, Creative New Zealand, Jann Medlicott and the Acorn Foundation, Mary and Peter Biggs CNZM, the Crystal Arts Trust, Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand and the Auckland Writers Festival.

    To find out more about the winners’ books go to http://www.nzbookawards.nz/new-zealand-book-awards/2022-awards/winners/

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  • CLNZ | NZSA Research Grants for NZ writers: applications open

    11-05-2022

    Applications are now open for the CLNZ | NZSA Research Grants to help you research for your fiction or non-fiction writing project. Four grants valued at $5,000 each are available to New Zealand writers. One of the grants targets diverse writers and topics, including writers from, and writing about, parts of Aotearoa that are not broadly represented in writing and publishing, and projects on issues or subjects that are topical in present day Aotearoa. These are bought to you by Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) and the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc) as part of the CLNZ Cultural Fund.

    While a broad range of fiction and non-fiction writing projects are eligible for these grants, some works and projects are excluded so please check the guidelines carefully.First: Read the CLNZ / NZSA Research Grant GuidelinesThen: Fill in the CLNZ / NZSA Research Grant Application FormThe CLNZ | NZSA Research Grants open for applications 9am Wednesday 11 May 2022, and will close at 4pm Wednesday 8 June 2022.Submissions must be made online. Unsuccessful applicants will be advised before recipients are announced. Successful recipients will be contacted directly and we will also publish the announcement on the CLNZ and NZSA website and Facebook page.NZSA is proud to be administering the awards in 2022. For further information or to organise an interview, please email Nicole Colmar nicole@nzauthors.org.nz or Esme Barber esme@copyright.co.nz

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  • Ockham New Zealand Book Awards ceremony to be live and in-person

    11-04-2022

    The 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards will be held in Auckland on May 11 2022 as an in-person event, the New Zealand Book Awards Trust has confirmed.  The event will be held at the Q Theatre on Queen Street. In order to comply with the regulations under Red, tickets will be limited to finalist authors, publishers, sponsors and their immediate circles. Should Auckland move to Orange before May 11 these constraints will be adjusted. The proceedings will be filmed and live-streamed for those not in attendance.

    The 11 May ceremony will announce four category winners from a shortlist of 16 books: the $60,000 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry, the Booksellers Aotearoa NZ Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction and the General Non-Fiction Award, each with prize money of $10,000. Four debut writers in each of the subject categories will also each receive a Crystal Arts Trust Best First Book Award, worth $2,500.

    The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are also supported by naming sponsor Ockham Residential and Creative New Zealand, and staged in collaboration with the Auckland Writers Festival.

  • Tracey Slaughter’s The Longest Drink in Town – now onstage

    11-04-2022

    Acclaimed New Zealand author Tracey Slaughter presents The Longest Drink in Town, debuting at The Meteor Theatre (1 Victoria Street, Hamilton) April 27-30, 7:30pm.  A dark, lyrical and brooding snapshot of the fallout of a parental affair; The Longest Drink in Town marks the first of Slaughter’s works to be adapted for the stage. Book at themeteor.co.nz  (Mature Audiences – contains depictions of self-harm, sexual themes and strong language).

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  • Sargeson Prize – open for entries

    01-04-2022

    First offered in 2019, the Sargeson Prize is New Zealand’s richest short story prize, sponsored by the University of Waikato. Named for celebrated New Zealand writer Frank Sargeson, the Prize was conceived by writer Catherine Chidgey, who also lectures in Writing Studies at the University. Entries open on 1 April for the 2022 Sargeson Prize and close at 11.59pm (NZST) on 30 June 2022. There is no entry fee, and entries are limited to one per writer, per division. The Chief Judge for 2022 will be Fiona Kidman. Learn more here or for queries email sargeson.prize@waikato.ac.nz

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  • Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day – registrations open

    30-03-2022

    Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day is preparing to mark its 25th anniversary with plans for the broadest range of events and promotions yet on 26 August 2022, and registrations are already open for seed funding to support organisers.

    National Poetry Day coordinator Erica Stretton says that after two years of largely online events, the NPD team, poets and organisers are all eager and optimistic about a return to the usual feast of in-person and community events across the motu. Erica urges organisers to register their interest early in hosting an event on or around 26 August, in order to access the seed funding available and to be included in the heavily promoted official calendar of NPD events.

    This year also marks the 40th anniversary of NPD sponsor, Phantom Billstickers. CEO Robin McDonnell says the company has plenty planned to mark its special milestone, but that poetry will always be at the heart of what it does.

    Interested organisers can access registration documents, templates and a full range of planning and promotional resources via the NPD website, or contact Erica if you have any questions. Applications for seed funding close at 5pm on 1 June 2022.

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'NZ literature is such a vast and varied thing' - Pip Adam

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