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Australasian Shadows Awards 2026 Winners
October 6, 2026 The Australasian Horror Writers Association announced the winners of the Australasian Shadows Awards on October 3. The juried award is given in eight categories for the finest in horror and dark fiction published by an Australasian within the calendar year. Eligible genres/sub-genres include horror, dark fiction, dark fantasy, and paranormal fiction. Poetry Katya de […]
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The Robert Burns Fellow: Emma Hislop
Writer Emma Hislop (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha) says she is still “quietly processing” the news of receiving the Robert Burns Fellowship for 2027. Although her debut short story collection, Ruin, won the Hubert Church Best First Book of Fiction at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards in 2024, she says looking at the list […]
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Playmarket winners: Plays for the Young 2026:
Playmarket is delighted to announce the winning entries for Plays for the Young 2026: PLAYS WRITTEN TO BE PERFORMED FOR 3-12 YEAR OLDS: The Girl Whose Twin Was a Bird by Talia Pua PLAYS WRITTEN TO BE PERFORMED BY 3-12 YEAR OLDS: The Monster Kitten by Sheree Veysey PLAYS WRITTEN TO BE PERFORMED FOR AND/OR […]
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The secret life of words: Mikee Donato’s North Island road trip takes 2026 Sargeson Prize
Embargoed until 8pm Saturday 03 October 2026 For Mikee Donato, writing is that secret, second life “where all the real stuff happens”. It’s a life that has now earned her New Zealand’s richest short story prize, with her story ‘Wilding Pines’ taking out the 2026 Sargeson Prize, sponsored by the University of Waikato. Following […]
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Book for Bird Lovers Judged Best Designed in Aotearoa New Zealand
A book created to encourage a love of ornithology in children has been judged the best designed in Aotearoa at the 2026 PANZ Book Design Awards. It was an easy decision for the judges who unanimously declared Omnibird by Giselle Clarkson (Gecko Press) designed by Vida Kelly with Giselle Clarkson, the overall winner at a […]
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$25,000 TCA | NZSA Writers’ Award has been awarded to writer Matariki Williams
Matariki Williams (Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Hauiti, Ngāti Whakaue, Taranaki, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi) has been awarded the 2026 Tāwhia Copyright Aotearoa (TCA) and The New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ) Inc $25,000 Writers’ Award for her untitled project on the life and art of Robyn Kahukiwa. Williams will be working with Penguin Random […]
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2026 ARA Historical Novel Prize – shortlists announced
The 6 novels shortlisted for Australasia’s richest individual literary prize centre strong female perspectives and write overlooked characters back into history The shortlist for the 2026 ARA Historical Novel Prize has been announced, with all six novels authored by women and non-binary writers. The shortlisted titles shine a light on overlooked perspectives spanning ancient Egypt, […]
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Linda Collins wins Caselberg Trust International Poetry Prize 2026
Judge Emma Neale has read through all 192 poems that were entered from poets across the world (New Zealand, Australia, Germany, India, Iran, Iraq, UK, USA, and Venezuela) and selected the winners for our 2026 Caselberg Trust International Poetry Prize. The competition is in its 16th year, and this year’s winner is Linda Collins from […]
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IPEd Student Prize 2027 opens for entries
23 SEPTEMBER 2026 The Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) has opened entries for the 2027 IPEd Student Prize, an annual award for outstanding student work in editing. The prize is open to any tertiary-level student enrolled in an editing or publishing course at an Australian or New Zealand tertiary institution, including students who finish their studies […]
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Scholarships for Young Writers Awarded for the First Time
Tāwhia Copyright Aotearoa (TCA) and the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (NZSA) are proud to announce five young writers who have received the inaugural TCA | NZSA Secondary School Leavers Scholarship. The selection panel of award-winning authors Michelle Elvy and Shelley Burne-Field said they were astonished at the variety in […]
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Ireland Wilson Sargeson Fellowships 2027
Calling all writers! Applications are now open for the 2027 Ireland Wilson Sargeson Fellowships Press release, 15 September 2026 The Frank Sargeson Trust is calling for applications from published New Zealand writers for the 2027 Ireland Wilson Sargeson Fellowships. These prestigious Fellowships, named in memory of New Zealand writers Frank Sargeson, Kevin Ireland and Phillip […]
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Tina Makereti Announced as 2026 Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellow
Friday 11 September 2026 Award-winning writer Tina Makereti (Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rangatahi-Matakore) has been named the 2026 Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellow, giving her the opportunity to live and write in Menton, southern France, for three months. One of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most prestigious and long-running literary awards, the Fellowship provides a $43,000 grant […]
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