We love sharing tales of epic, and often hair-raising adventures set in some of the world’s most remote, often beautiful, sometimes hostile, environments. Celebrating our 20th anniversary this year, the NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival is scheduled to run in Wānaka from 24 to 29 June, in Queenstown June 30 to July 2, and online from June 24 to July 24. Yes, that is one day longer in Wānaka, allowing for a special evening screening of the best films in our 20-year history.

The Mountain Book competition adds another exciting element to our festival, and gives writers the opportunity to showcase their work and win prizes, and our adventure book-loving audience to enjoy readings, book signings, guest speakers and seminars.

As with our film festival, the theme is Adventure Sports and Lifestyles. The Mountain and Adventure Narrative Award is for stories and accounts about specific adventures, and can be fiction or non-fiction. The Mountain and Adventure Heritage Awards covers guidebooks, coffee table and picture books, history books, analyses, reflections on culture, environments or ethics, and advocacy. Both categories offer a $250 prize.

The NZ Mountain Book of the Year, founded and supported by Dave Bamford and John Nankervis offers a $2000 prize, with thanks to the award’s founders. The award is for a book that brings the mountain experience into the hearts and minds of the readers, and can be fiction, poetry or non-fiction. The prize is only awarded for a book of the very highest quality and may not be awarded every year.

The Mountain Book Competition is open to writers from Aotearoa.

Enter here  –  Book entries close on 30 March.

We are also looking for writers and publishers who would like to do book launches and talks at the NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival in Wanaka from 24 – 29 June. Please get in touch via info@mountainfilm.nz

If you are interested in judging our book competition, we would also love to hear from you!