$25,000 CLNZ / NZSA Writers’ Award – Apply Now

What do Nick Bollinger, Rebecca Macfie, and Nic Low (Ngai Tahu) have in common? They have all received the Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) and New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Writers’ Award:

 

  • a $25,000 award to a New Zealand writer
  • one of the highest non-fiction prizes in New Zealand literature
  • open now

The award was established to provide financial support for writers wishing to devote time to a specific project, and to cover reasonable research expenses relating to it. Writers with work in a broad range of non-fiction genres, including educational works, can apply. The CLNZ / NZSA Writers’ Award supported the creation of Rebecca Macfie’s book Helen Kelly: Her Life (Awa Press), a biography of one of New Zealand’s political legends; Nic Low’s book Uprising: Walking the Southern Alps of New Zealand (Text Publishing, out in July); and is supporting Nick Bollinger with his upcoming new book (see below).

Want to Apply?

First: Read the CLNZ / NZSA Writers’ Award Guidelines

Next: Consider reading this ‘Award Alchemy’ article from our NZ Author Magazine (pdf) or listening to Tracey Farr in the NZSA Live! podcast episode ‘Panel Discussion on the Business of Being a Writer’ (starting minute 1.50) on putting together the best application you can.

Then: Fill in the CLNZ / NZSA Writers’ Award Application Form

Nick Bollinger won the 2020 CLNZ/NZSA Writers’ Award for his project Revolutions Per Minute: The Counterculture in New Zealand 1960-1975.

“Receiving the award feels like a vote of confidence. It shows me that the subject of the book I am working on excites other people as much as it excites me, and I’m encouraged by their belief in my ability to write it. Crucially, it has bought me the time to dig deeper into the research and fine-tune the storytelling.”

The CLNZ/NZSA Writers’ Award is made possible through CLNZ’s Cultural Fund. The Cultural Fund’s objectives are to:

Protect – writers and publishers’ ability to earn revenue from their works
Support – the creation and production of new works and assist the commercial success of New Zealand works
Grow – the number of works created and skills in the industry

We encourage non-fiction writers to consider applying for this award. Applications over the full range of non-fiction genre are welcome. Applicants must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents. It is the clear intention of the CLNZ / NZSA Writers’ Award that a book will be published as a result of winning the award.

Applications must be completed online by 4pm on Friday 2 July 2021.

Unsuccessful applicants will be advised before recipients are announced. Successful recipients will be contacted directly and we will also publish the announcement on the CLNZ and NZSA websites and Facebook pages.

The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc) Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa is proud to be administering the awards in 2021.