• NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize 2025 – open for applications

    Award for fresh writing with a ‘unique and original vision’ The NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize celebrates the life and work of the writer Laura Solomon. As set by Laura, the main criteria for the exciting prize is for new writing with a ‘unique and original vision’. Published and unpublished writers are invited to […]

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  • Meet Your 2024 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureates

    Te Tumu Toi LaureatesLast night, Aotearoa New Zealand’s creative community came together in full force to celebrate the arts, and the artists shaping our nation’s future. This year, we are delighted to honour eight Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureates – artists that have been outstanding in their field, and are having a significant impact.They […]

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  • Sargeson Prize for short stories won by writer of topical, political tale 

    The writer of a political, quintessentially New Zealand story has taken the top spot in one of New Zealand’s richest short story competitions, securing a $10,000 prize.   Benn Jeffries of Wellington was named winner of the 2024 Sargeson Prize with his short story ‘Greywacke’ on Saturday evening at the 21st annual Frank Sargeson Memorial […]

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  • The Nine Dots prize opens

    The Nine Dots Prize is an international writing prize for creative thinking that tackles contemporary societal issues. The aim of the prize is to promote, encourage and engage innovative thinking to address problems facing the modern world. It is judged anonymously and seeks submissions from both established writers and emerging talent. This year’s question is: […]

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  • Joy Sellen is the recipient of the Storylines Betty Gilderdale Award

    Joy has always been an avid reader. She graduated from the University of Otago with degrees in microbiology and Russian, after which she worked in translation, research, market analysis, writing and editing in New Zealand and the UK. Later, with young children, she became involved in playgroups, toy library and kindergarten committees, where she took […]

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  • Otago College of Ed CNZ Children’s WIR 2025 is Samantha Montgomerie

    Samantha Montgomerie lives on the Otago Peninsula, Ōtepoti Dunedin. Her proposed project during this Fellowship is a middle-grade (ages 8 to 12 years) fiction novel – Sea and Sky Collide. Set in the Marlborough Sounds, this action-packed story is based around two young people fighting to take a stand to protect our natural taonga, with a focus on […]

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  • The Robert Burns Fellow 2025 is Dr Octavia Cade

    Dr Octavia Cade is a New Zealand writer based in Kerikeri. Her creative work is increasingly climate-influenced, realistic science fiction that takes place in contemporary or near-future settings. Octavia’s background includes a Master’s in Biology, during which she studied seagrass reproduction, a Bachelor of Science in Botany and a PhD in Science Communication from Otago, […]

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  • Head shot of Mark Derby

    Announcing the 2024 CLNZ | NZSA Writers’ Award

    Media Release October 8, 2024 $25,000 CLNZ | NZSA Writers’ Award has been awarded to writer Mark Derby Mark Derby has been awarded the 2024 Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) and The New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ) Inc, CLNZ | NZSA $25,000 Writers’ Award for his project, […]

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  • Call for judges of the 2025 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults

    2 OCTOBER 2024 The organisers of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are inviting expressions of interest from members and followers of the children’s literature community who would like to be considered as judges of the 2025 awards. Applications to judge are now open to all those with suitable qualifications and […]

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  • Calling all writers! Applications are now open for the 2025 Sargeson Fellowship

    1 October 2024 The Frank Sargeson Trust is calling for applications from published New Zealand writers for the 2025 Sargeson Fellowship. This prestigious Fellowship, named in memory of New Zealand writer Frank Sargeson, is offering in 2025 an increased stipend of $26,000 to write fulltime on a project(s). The Sargeson Fellowship may be shared by […]

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  • Love of books and reading foremost with Kiwi Kids Whitcoulls Top 50

    FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2024 On the eve of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Term 3 holidays, Whitcoulls announce their influential 2024 Kids’ Top 50 Books list; an annual event for over 25 years and one Kiwi children respond to with enthusiasm. Whitcoulls Book Manager, Joan Mackenzie, says, “This year, 36% of books on the Top 50 are […]

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  • Announcing the 2024 Janet Frame Memorial Lecture

    Friends and Elephants Saturday, 9 November 2024 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Hannah Playhouse, 12 Cambridge Terrace, Wellington Barbara was awarded the 2024 President of Honour in recognition of her contribution across the literature sector in Aotearoa. Barbara writes fiction and non-fiction for adults and children, is a literary agent, and editor. She has received […]

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