31 May 2021

Nominations are now open for the annual Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement.

These prestigious awards recognise New Zealand writers who have made a notable contribution to New Zealand literature in the genres of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

One award of $60,000 is made each year in each of these three categories:

• Fiction
  Any genre, including novels, short stories, plays, children’s fiction, and scriptwriting.
• Non-fiction
  Any non-fiction discipline is acceptable, with the quality of the work being the main determinant.
• Poetry

Any New Zealander can make a nomination and writers can nominate themselves. Full details and nomination forms are available on our funding page

Nominations close Monday 12 July 2021, 1pm.

The Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement were established in 2003. Every year New Zealanders are invited to nominate their choice of a New Zealand writer who has made a significant contribution to New Zealand literature in the genres of non-fiction, poetry and fiction. Writers are also able to nominate themselves for these awards.

Nominations are assessed by an external expert panel and recommendations are forwarded to the Arts Council of New Zealand for approval.

A full list of previous recipients can be found on the Creative New Zealand website