The Lilian Ida Smith Award was initiated when Lilian Ida Smith, a music teacher of Whanganui who had a keen interest in the arts, left part of her legacy to the NZ Society of Authors to ‘assist people aged 35yrs and over to embark upon or further a literary career’. (Applicants are expected to be either in the early stages of their writing career, or someone whose opportunities to fulfill their potential have been limited.)

The first award was made in 1986. The amount of the award is obtained by accumulating interest on the capital of the bequest. The award is only open to financial members of the NZ Society of Authors who are aged 35 years or over.

Lilian Ida Smith Application Form

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Lilian Ida Smith Award recipients

The LIS awards were first awarded in 1986 where three recipients were awarded $1000 each in the poetry, fiction and non-fiction categories.
The recipients in each of the years 1986 to 1990 were in order of Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction:

1986 Michael Morrissey, Owen Marshall, Daphne de Jong
1987 Lauris Edmond, Bill Manhire, Rosemary Wildblood
1988 Mavis Wentworth, Owen Marshall, Graeme Lay
1989 Bill Manhire, Michael Gifkins, Elizabeth Smither
1990 Jan McAllum, James Norcliffe, Greg Newbold

In 1992 the award was changed so that it became a biennial award of $3000 for a project in any genre.
The Recipients from 1992 onwards were:
1992 – Debra Daley
1994 – Joy McKenzie
1996 – Katrina Willoughby
1998 – Carolyn McCurdie
2000 – Jackie Davis
2003 – Mary McCallum
2005 – Rachael King
2007 – Sue Orr
2009 – Leanne Radojkovich
2011 – John MacKinven
2015 – Caroline Barron
2017 – Paula Harris
2020 – Safia Archer