Entries for the 2022 Sunday Star-Times short story competition are open. Now in their 39th year, the awards are among New Zealand’s most prestigious and established writing prizes. The competition has helped the careers of many well-known writers including Eleanor Catton, Sarah Laing, Barbara Anderson, Linda Olsson, André Ngāpō and others.

Last year’s open category winner was Dominic Hoey.

In association with the Milford Foundation and Penguin Random House the prize pool this year is more than $10,000, with $7000 awarded to the overall open category winner. It’s also the chance for writers to receive critical feedback and have the winning story published in the Sunday Star-Times, on Stuff.co.nz and on Stuff audio platforms.

Below are terms and conditions to enter the 2022 Sunday Star-Times short story competition. You must read these before uploading your entry here.

ENTRY CRITERIA

• Open division: 3000-word limit on entries. Winning entry receives $7000, sponsored by Milford Foundation and Penguin Random House NZ.

• Emerging Māori writer: 3000-word limit. Open to any author who identifies as Māori and who does not already have a published book. Winning entry receives $1500 prize.

• Emerging Pasifika writer: 3000-word limit. Open to any author who identifies as Pasifika and who does not already have a published book. Winning entry receives $1500 prize.

• Milford Foundation Secondary School Writer Scholarship: 2000-word limit. Open to any author attending a secondary school at the time of entering. Winning entry receives $1500 prize.

Entries close October 31, 2022, at 11.59pm.

Winners will be announced in December 2022, and a selection of the winning entries will be published in the Sunday Star-Times, on Stuff.co.nz and on Stuff audio platforms.

Writers may only enter one of the emerging Māori or Pasifika categories, not both. Winners of both these categories are automatically eligible to win the major prize of $7000.

In entering this competition you warrant to us that you are the sole author of the submission and that it is entirely original to you (except for any third party quotation, whose source you clearly indicate).

CONTACT US

If you have any questions please contact us by email: editor@star-times.co.nz

FORMAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS 2022:

Information on how to enter and the prize(s) that form part of the “Sunday Star-Times Short Story Awards 2022 (the “Promotion”) are set out in these terms and conditions (“Terms”). By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Terms.

Eligibility

Employees and their immediate families of Stuff Limited (“Stuff”) and the associated sponsors, and their immediate families are not eligible to enter. Entrants must have a New Zealand bank account for prize money purposes.

Dates

The competition commences at 5am on September 25, 2022, and closes on October 31, 2022, at 11.59pm (“the Competition period”). There will be one winner for each of the four following categories: open category, emerging Māori writer, emerging Pasifika writer, and Secondary School Writer. Entrants in the emerging Māori and emerging Pasifika categories will be automatically entered into the open category. Only finalists will be contacted by phone or email using the contact details provided. Winners will be announced in the Sunday Star-Times and on Stuff.co.nz. Unsuccessful entrants will not be contacted. The judges’ decision regarding the winners’ is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

How to enter

Entrants must visit the competition entry page during the competition period and complete the form, including the required details, and submit their short story within the word limit. The maximum length of the open category entries is 3000words. There is no age restriction on entries though those writers selecting the secondary school category must be attending a secondary school at the time of entering. Your story may be published in the Sunday Star-Times and on Stuff.co.nz and on Stuff audio platforms.

An individual may submit no more than one entry per category. Once an entry is submitted, it is final. The entry cannot be withdrawn, and no alterations can be made to it. Entries may not contain any photographs or illustrations. Stories must be the original work of the entrant alone, and no entry may be published or broadcast elsewhere, or submitted for publication or broadcast elsewhere, or entered into any other competition until after December 31, 2022. Only entries received via the online entry form are eligible. Once an entry is received no further publishing permission will be sought; the author is responsible for the legal implications of any work published. Copyright to all entries submitted remains the property of the entrant. However, Stuff and Penguin Random House New Zealand have the right to publish the winning manuscripts without fee.