In order to support the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, Copyright Licensing New Zealand released a special fund of $120,000 for short-term projects that could be started straight away and completed by the end of September this year.

Applications were invited for a Special Round of Contestable Fund grants for projects that had clearly defined and measurable outcomes including projects that responded to the opportunities and challenges presented by the pandemic; develop the professional skills of writers, including those who write for an education audience; seek to grow export markets for NZ published content; demonstrate innovation in the creation and distribution of NZ published content; use online platforms to enhance the profile of NZ publishing including to international/export markets.

There was a total of 113 applications received with funding contributions made towards the following 13 projects:

• NZ Children’s & Young Adult Book Awards, Books Alive online author events and virtual story times
  LIANZA Te Rau Herenga o Aotearoa – $10,000
• Out of the Woods e-comic
  Educational Resources Ltd – $12,000
• Young Voices : Virus!
  Write On School for Young Writers – $12,000
• #NZSAConnects: i)NZSALive ii)NZSAwebWorkshops iii) NZSAWritersRead
  NZ Society of Authors $7,500
• PukapukaHub Podcast
  The Coalition for Books – $5,000
• Who We Are Now?
  The Pantograph Punch – $12,000
• Auckland Writers Festival Winter Series
  Auckland Writers’ and Readers’ Festival Charitable Trust – $3,000
• Meantime
  Majella Cullinane – $10,000
• Cenotaph Stories: Contemporary Reflections
  Auckland War Memorial Museum – $5,000
• This Is Us – the diaspora in lockdown
  Pete Carter – $12,000
• Children’s picture book, with working title ‘Enough’
  Sarah Johnson – $10,000
• Graphic Artists Book (working title only)
  Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu – $ 15,000
• ReadingRoom: Portrait of the Author
  Newsroom NZ Ltd – $6,500

The selection panel supported applications that directly connected with or responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. The selection panel commented:

“There was a range of whole-of-industry initiatives to support ongoing publishing, reading and related cultural activities, support for publishers, and for individual writers, each who in their own diverse ways are responding positively to the lockdown situation.”

Applicants who were not successful in this round are encouraged to apply in the next round of Contestable Fund Grants which are scheduled for September 2020.

Chief Executive of CLNZ, Paula Browning, said “It is clear from the applications we received that there is a lot of thinking going into how the New Zealand publishing industry will look in a post-pandemic world. Now that we’ve had a period of using digital tools to both create and to reach audiences, the industry has experience to draw on that can help it to work differently.”

NZSA is delighted and grateful to receive support for our #NZSA Connects lockdown digital programme – thanks CLNZ!