A debut novelist has won the Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand 2026 Fiction Prize for the fourth time. Nelson writer, Penny Richards, has taken out the top prize from a very strong field.
The judges said, ‘Penny Richards’ winning novel, Soft, combines compelling characters and a beautifully judged plot with writing that is funny, poignant and full of heart. Its richly grounded portrayal of Christchurch rebuilding after the earthquakes bring the political decisions of the time into sharp contrast with the emotional reality of those living through them. Original, assured and deeply affecting, it marks the arrival of a talented writer.’
Soft will be published in mid-2027. As part of the prize, Penny receives a major publishing contract, including a $10,000 advance.
Penny Richards says, ‘I found out I won the Allen & Unwin Fiction Prize parked outside the Whitestone Cheese shop on Oamaru’s main street. Michelle from Allen & Unwin introduced herself and shared the news. I doubt my response made much sense. I didn’t buy any cheese. It was thirty minutes before I could drive safely and forty-eight hours before I could sleep. Every writer dreams of a call like that.’
The prize was launched in 2022 to encourage strong fiction writing in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is open to all unpublished full-length fiction manuscripts between 70,000 and 100,000 words, written by NZ citizens and residents. Both debut writers and authors who have already been published are eligible.
Past winners of the Allen & Unwin Aotearoa NZ Fiction Prize are Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts by Josie Shapiro, The Call by Gavin Strawhan and The Nowhere Boy by Anne Cleary, which is one of the top ten bestselling NZ novels published this year. Allen & Unwin has sold more than 40,000 copies of the three prize-winning novels to date.
Allen & Unwin has published second novels with both Josie Shapiro and Gavin Strawhan. All the previous prize winners have also had considerable commercial success in Australia.
The Allen & Unwin Aotearoa NZ Fiction Prize 2027 is open for entries now and will close on 31 March 2027.
For regular updates and details on how to enter, visit www.allenandunwin.co.nz and follow Allen & Unwin Aotearoa NZ on Instagram and Facebook.
About Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand
Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand was named Publisher of the Year in 2026, 2023, 2020, 2018 and 2016. Allen & Unwin publishes a huge range of bestselling local and international fiction authors including Michael Connelly, Kate Morton, Jennifer Trevelyan, Charity Norman, Megan Nicol Reed, Josie Shapiro, Gavin Strawhan, Claire Baylis, Anne Cleary and Jacqueline Bublitz. While we are based in Aotearoa New Zealand, we are international in our thinking, with offices in Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne and London, a global network of connected partners, and a local list that is unrivalled in scope and quality.
About Penny Richards
Penny Richards holds a Masters of Management from Massey University (2012) and a Masters of Creative Writing (MCW) from the University of Otago (2026). With a background in local government communications and emergency management, Penny also developed and taught communications papers for the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) and worked as a social researcher for many years.
Soft is her first novel and was completed as her thesis for the Otago MCW. Penny is also an accomplished artist with several solo exhibitions and represented New Zealand in athletics as a teenager. She lives in Nelson.
