The annual Te Tauihu Short Story Awards are open to all New Zealand writers aged 16+, celebrating stories written in te reo Māori and English. In 2026, our judges are Renee Kahukura Iosefa (te reo Māori stories) and Ingrid Horrocks (English stories).

Celebrating short stories written in English and te reo Māori

For the past 20 years, the NZ Society of Authors Top of the South Branch has celebrated storytelling by running an annual short story competition. Since 2022, we have celebrated stories written in both English and te reo Māori, with equal prize money for prize winners in both categories:

First prize: $1,000
Second prize: $500
Third prize: $300

The 2026 Te Tauihu Short Story Awards are now open. Find information about this year’s judges along with the competition’s terms and conditions and links to the entry forms here.
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Entries close at 11.59pm on Sunday 20 September 2026.