The Peter Wells Short Fiction Contest is an opportunity for Aotearoa-based LGBTQIA+ authors.
The contest runs near the end of each year, and the winners are announced during our festival in February.
First prize is $1,000 for the winning story, $500 for the runner-up and $500 for the best writing by a promising young writer aged under 25.
The contest is designed to encourage local authors to write new material exploring their LGBTQIA+ identity.
The contest is dedicated to the life and work of Samesame But Different founder Peter Wells, a writer, filmmaker and historian.
OVERALL WINNER
$1,000
RUNNER UP
$500
PROMISING YOUNG WRITER
$500
The 2025 contest is now open! Entries are due by midnight on Monday 6th January 2025.
2025 marks the tenth anniversary of Samesame But Different and for the short fiction contest we are inviting stories that have elements of celebration and acknowledgment, milestones and achievements, struggles and victories both personal and wider, stories that look back as they look forward.
While writers don’t have to restrict their stories to any particular thematic interpretation of the above, or to any genre, time or setting, they will have relevance to the broader Aotearoa New Zealand LGBTQIA+ community. MORE
And we would like to see the word ‘milestone’ and/or ‘anniversary’ used at least once in any way and in any place in the stories.
The full criteria and information for entering is listed on this page. You can also download a PDF of this:
