-
Witi Ihimaera Smiler receives 2026 Whakamana Hiranga Icon Award
The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi welcomes Ann Robinson, Darcy Nicholas, The Topp Twins and Witi Ihimaera Smiler into a living circle of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most significant artists. Established in 2003, the Icon Awards Whakamana Hiranga are the Arts Foundation’s highest honour, recognising the remarkable impact each artist has had on their practice, community, and […]
Continue reading -
NZSA Shaw Writer’s Award 2026 opens
The NZSA Shaw Writer’s Award is a new award established by novelist Tina Shaw to encourage the development of original novels by fiction writers who are working on a new project. All applicants must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents. The NZSA Shaw Writer’s Award will provide a cash award of $5,000 to be […]
Continue reading -
Applications open for Michael King Writers Centre 2027 residencies
6 August 2026 17 residencies available in 2027 for writers across Aotearoa New Zealand The Michael King Writers Centre has opened applications for its 2027 Writers in Residence Programme, a national residency programme supporting writers from across Aotearoa New Zealand to develop major writing projects. The 2027 programme offers 17 residencies for emerging and […]
Continue reading -
NZSA Peter and Dianne Beatson Fellowship 2026 open
The Peter and Dianne Beatson Fellowship is awarded each year to a mid-career or senior writer to work on a project that shows a high level of literary merit and national significance and is donated by Peter Beatson. We thank Peter for his continuing and generous support of New Zealand writers. Open to writers of […]
Continue reading -
ASLA DANZ Children’s Book Award Winners 2026 Announced
On Saturday, July 25 inside the glorious Global Change Institute at University Queensland in Brisbane we celebrated in style alongside some of our shortlisted creators, judges, local children’s literature legends and champions, and several of our generous sponsors. Here are the winners, selected by our child judges from across Australia and New Zealand. Picture Book Winner […]
Continue reading -
Kasi Valu named as 2026 Emerging Pasifika Writer in Residence
Victoria University of Wellington’s International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) is delighted to announce the appointment of Kasi Valu as the Emerging Pasifika Writer in Residence for 2026. Kasi will use the residency to develop a collection of poems, spoken-word pieces, and short stories with the working title Frangipani Thorns. Audiences may encounter historical reflections, social media discourse, political satire, community gossip, and […]
Continue reading -
SHORTLIST CELEBRATES THE MOST BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED BOOKS IN AOTEAROA
The most beautifully designed books in Aotearoa are recognised today with the announcement of the finalists for the 2026 PANZ Book Design Awards. The Publishers Association of New Zealand Te Rau o Tākupu (PANZ) established the awards to promote excellence in, and provide recognition for, the best book design in Aotearoa New Zealand. “The […]
Continue reading -
Aotearoa New Zealand Book Industry Awards 2026 Winners’ Announcement
Schrödinger’s Books in Petone has won the NielsenIQ BookData Bookshop of the Year at the 2026 Aotearoa New Zealand Book Industry Awards for its skilful curation of books catering to diverse community interests and excellence in showcasing local and international authors in a year-long series of in-store events. The award was presented to the […]
Continue reading -
2026 Lynley Dodd Children’s Writers Award to Claire Mabey
The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi is thrilled to announce the 2026 recipient of the Lynley Dodd Children’s Writers Award: Claire Mabey. Wellington-based author Claire is known for her richly imagined junior fiction and picture books, and for her wider contribution to Aotearoa New Zealand’s literary community. Her debut novel, The Raven’s Eye Runaways, is […]
Continue reading -
Votes surge for local authors and new books in Whitcoulls Top 100 2026 List
Whitcoulls reveal that 26 New Zealand writers have made this year’s Top 100 – the highest level of local representation in the list’s nearly 30-year history. The results also point to a major shift in readers’ tastes, with an unusually high number of new titles entering the list for the first time, suggesting Kiwi readers […]
Continue reading -
NZSA members Morton & Keenan longlisted for 2026 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize
2026 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize The Jolley Prize is worth a total of $12,500 and is for an original work of short fiction of between 2,000 and 5,000 words, written in English. This is the sixteenth time the Jolley Prize has run and it is one of the world’s leading prizes for short […]
Continue reading -
Janet Frame Prize for 2026 goes to Hinemoana Baker
The trustees of the Janet Frame Literary Trust are delighted to announce that the Janet Frame Prize for 2026, worth $10,000, goes to Wellingtonian Hinemoana Baker (Ngāti Tupaia ki Te Aro, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Te Āti Awa, Kāi Tahu, Germany, England). A celebrated poet, musician, performer and educator, Hinemoana Baker […]
Continue reading