Congratulations to all past and present successful Cultural Fund recipients of our grants and awards.
We're proud of the contribution that researchers, writers, authors and publishers make to this country. Congratulations to all of the successful recipients of our grants and awards, and thank you to everyone who have submitted applications. Take a look to see who the successful recipients were over the last few years.
CLNZ | NZSA Writers' Award
2024 - Mark Derby
for his project with the working title ‘Outlaw Prophet - Hakaraia Mahika and the Tauranga Wars’ - read more here
2023 - Tom Doig
for his project with the working title 'We Are All Preppers Now: Kiwis Making Plans for the End of the World' - read more here
2022 - Iona Winter
for her project A counter of moons - read more here
2021 - Jade Kake (Ngāpuhi, Te Whakatōhea, Te Arawa)
for her project on the legacy of Professor Rewi Thompson (1953-2017; Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa) - read more here
2020 - Nick Bollinger
for his project Revolutions Per Minute: The Counterculture in New Zealand 1960-1975 - read more here
2019 - Rebecca Macfie
for her biography of Helen Kelly - read more here
2018 - Nic Low (Ngāi Tahu)
for his project Uprising - read more here
2017 - Ben Schrader
for his project Won and Lost: Saving New Zealand's Built Heritage 1885-2016 - read more here
2016 - Neville Peat
for his project The Invading Sea - read more here
CLNZ | NZSA Research Grants
2024 - Lori Leigh, Steph Matuku, Kate Parker and Kerry Sunderland - read more here.
2023 - Michael O'Leary, Hana Tapiata, Saige England and Trevor Bentley - read more here
2022 - Maria Samuela, Bonnie Etherington, Sylvan Thomson and Emma Wehipeihana (Espiner) (Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Porou) - read more here
2021 - Lauren Keenan (Te Ātiawa ki Taranaki), Anthony Green, Lillian Duval and Bonnie Maihi - read more here
2020 - Fraser Smith, Vasanti Unka, Elizabeth Cox and Wystan Curnow - read more here
2019 - Giovanna Fenster, Philip Simpson, Ghazaleh Golbakhsh and Joanne Drayton (Stout) - read more here
2018 - Jock Phillips, Philip Matthews, Pip Desmond and Mike Dickinson (Stout) - read more here
2017 - Jamie Robins, Phil Garnock-Jones, Pip Hall and Michalia Arathimos - read more here
2016 - Susy Pointon, Jared Davidson, Grace Millar and Aaron Fox - read more here
2015 - Heather McQuillan, Paul Moon, Philippa Werry and Paul Bensemann - read more here
Contestable Fund Grants
2024 CONTESTABLE FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS
- Minarets Journal edited by Nirvana Haldar
Special Issue on Poetry in Aotearoa and South Asia $4000 - SpecFicNZ
Juried Award for Aotearoa Speculative Fiction $5000 - The Coalition for Books
Aotearoa Book Sector Plan 2030 $5000 - Kotahi Rau Pukapuka Trust
Wānanga Whakapakari Kanohi Hōmiromiro $7040 - Āporo Press
Māori Made Difficult x Hinting at Decolonisation $3500 - Laura Shallcrass
Petal and the Luckish (working title), a graphic novel $5000 - Oratia Books
Moana Oceania: Niue $5300 - Mila's Books
Mila’s Books Tusitala Mentoring Programme 2025 $7500 - Georgina Tuari Stewart (NZ Committee of ANZCCART)
Publishing of Ngā Kararehe o Aotearoa - he Mātauranga, he Matatika $8220 - Saraid de Silva
Untitled second novel $7500 - Nelson Festivals Trust
2024 Nelson Arts Festival Pukapuka Talks Podcasts $3400 - Objectspace
Oceanic Routes: Mike Austin and Pacific Architecture $8000 - Michael King Writers Centre
Stipend for writer's residency: Dominic Hoey $5000
Read more here about the successful 2024 recipients.
2023 CONTESTABLE FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS
- Moa Press
Airana Ngarewa short story collection (title TBC) $3500 - Anne Bennett-Eustace
Arthurs Memoirs and Legacy $6000 - Drama NZ Mahi Whakaari o Aotearoa
Resources for drama in education $8000 - New Zealand Railway & Locomotive Society Incorporated
New Zealand Railways at Night $5,000 - One Tree House Limited
Hongi’s Hīkoi: A Trio of Travellers - two graphic novels $10,000 - Forest & Bird
Bird of the Year: New Zealand's love affair with native birds $5000 - Small Press Fest
Small Press Fest $2500 - Mairātea Mohi, Craccum Magazine
Craccum Magazine $5000 - Mani Malaeulu, Empowerment Training Ltd
Dear Uso $7000 - Pacific Islanders in Publishing
Pacific Islanders in Publishing $4000 - Akaroa Community Arts Council (ACAC)
Readers and Writers Akaroa fellowships $5000 - Oratia Media
New Zealand Place Names book and online collaboration $4500 - Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival
Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival podcasts (2023) $2490 - Shana Chandra
Banjara $2000 - Beyond Reality Media
The Irrepressible Duncans Universe $5000
Read more here about the successful 2023 recipients.
2022 CONTESTABLE FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS
- Clean Slate Press Ltd
Sammy Football Trilogy $5,000 - Mila's Books
Mila’s My Pasifika Series Project $10,000 - Damien Levi, Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi
Bad Apple Poetry Collection $7,000 - Kelly Ana Morey
Soft Bones $8,000 - Pacific Kids' Learning Ltd
- Pacific Bilingual Kids Books $7,000
- Rat World Magazine
Rat World Magazine $5,500 - Saufo'i Press
Moana Pacific poetry publishing $4,000 - School for Young Writers
Write 60 Then and Now and Teacher Resource $5,500 - Sophie Merkens
Research and development for New Zealand non-fiction book (sequel to ‘Grow') $6,000 - Trish Harris
About Us: 25 adventurers, artists and activists who link to Aotearoa’s Deaf and disability history $10,000 - Wildling Books
Healthy Ways to Release Emotions $5,000
Read more here about the successful 2022 recipients
2021 CONTESTABLE FUND GRANTS RECIPIENTS
- Ashlee Sturme
Inhale - a collection of writing from Maori Wahine $9,800 - Flying Start Books
Kowhai Adaptations - Te Reo Māori Red Rocket Readers $6,960 - Jacqueline Leckie
Land of the Old Black Cloud: A Cultural History of Mental Depression in Aotearoa $8,200 - Kotahi Rau Pukapuka Trust
He Puna Kupu mō Hare Pota - Vocabulary Creation for Harry Potter in te reo Māori $12,640 - Little Mouse Limited
Ōhinemutu - A bilingual, short story $5,000 - Metro Media Group Ltd
Metro Book Reviews in Broadsheet format $7,000 - NANSEN Magazine
Migration magazine making our third issue in Aotearoa $5,500 - NZ Booklovers
Awards 2022 - fiction, lifestyle and children’s picture books $2,000 - OneTree House Ltd
Bilingual and te reo Māori publishing programme $7,000 - Stacey Morrison and Penguin Random House New Zealand
Māori at Home audio edition $4,000 - Storylines Children’s Literature Charitable Trust Te Whare Waituhi o Aotearoa
The Storylines National Children’s Literature Authors and Illustrators Hui $6,900
Read more here about the successful 2021 recipients
2020 CONTESTABLE FUND GRANTS RECIPIENTS
- Mila's My Aganu'u
Series Dahlia Malaeulu (Mila's Books) - $9,000 - Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival podcasts (2021)
Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival - $4,900 - Token Cripple
Henrietta Bollinger - $8,000 - Ringawera (working title)
Kārena and Kasey Bird - $8,000 - Our Backyard Children's Picture Books
Marie Connolly and Jenny Lee - $7,500 - Kāwai: a saga from the uttermost end of the earth
Monty Soutar - $8,000 - Better off Read - Elements 2021
Pip Adam, Better off Read Podcast - $5,000 - Red Rocket Readers Te Reo Māori Adaptations
Flying Start Books - $8,000 - Comic Series commissioned by Toby Morris (working title)
The Spinoff - $8,500 - Connectors Digital - A Remote Learning Resource
Global Education Systems - $8,000
Read more here about the successful 2020 recipients
2020 SPECIAL ROUND OF CONTESTABLE FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS
- NZ Children's & Young Adult Book Awards, Books Alive online author events and virtual story times
LIANZA Te Rau Herenga o Aotearoa - $10,000 - Out of the Woods e-comic
Educational Resources Ltd - $12,000 - Young Voices : Virus!
Write On School for Young Writers - $12,000 - #NZSAConnects: i)NZSALive ii)NZSAwebWorkshops iii) NZSAWritersRead
NZ Society of Authors $7,500 - PukapukaHub Podcast
The Coalition for Books - $5,000 - Who We Are Now?
The Pantograph Punch - $12,000 - Auckland Writers Festival Winter Series
Auckland Writers' and Readers' Festival Charitable Trust - $3,000 - Meantime
Majella Cullinane - $10,000 - Cenotaph Stories: Contemporary Reflections
Auckland War Memorial Museum - $5,000 - This Is Us - the diaspora in lockdown
Pete Carter - $12,000 - Children's picture book, with working title 'Enough'
Sarah Johnson - $10,000 - Graphic Artists Book (working title only)
Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu - $ 15,000 - ReadingRoom: Portrait of the Author
Newsroom NZ Ltd - $6,500
Read more here about the successful 2020 recipients
2019 CONTESTABLE FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS
- Dee Publications $5,000
- Publishers Association of New Zealand $9,000
- Kiwa Digital $10,000
- Auckland University Press $6,000
- Little Island Press Ltd $12,500
- Wildling Books $2,000
- Peter Alsop $6,500
- Going West Books and Writers' Festival Trust $5,000
- Flying Start Books $10,000
- Code Education $10,000
- Wendy Pye Publishing $5,000
- The Coalition of Books $4,000
- Counter Journal $3,000
Read more here about the successful 2019 recipients
2018 CONTESTABLE FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS
- Dunedin Writers Festival $2,410
- Academy of New Zealand Literature $10,000
- Clean Slate Press $10,000
- Graeme Lay $3,000
- Lesley Smith $10,000
- Lift Education $7,500
- One Tree House $5,000
- Lost Property.org.nz $3,700
- Audiobooks NZ $10,000
Read more here about the successful 2018 recipients
2017 CONTESTABLE FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS
- Oratia Media $5,000
- Gecko Press $5,000
- Academy of New Zealand Literature $10,000
- The Writing Bug Ltd $5,000
- The Sapling $15,000
- Toitoi Media Ltd $10,000
- Essential Resources $15,000
- Gillian Candler $10,000
Read more here about the successful 2017 recipients
2016 CONTESTABLE FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS
- Toitoi Media Limited $7,600
- Huia (NZ) Ltd $10,000
- Lesley Smith $10,000
- NZ Book Awards Trust $20,000
- Prue Langbein $8,000
- Clean Slate Press Ltd $8000
- Zak Waipara $5000
- Flying Start Books Ltd $5000
Read more here about the successful 2016 recipients
CLNZ Creative Writing Tertiary Scholarships
2025
- Mauatua Faara-Reynolds – Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington
2024
- Amelia Reynolds – Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington
2023
- Martain Ravn – Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington
- Gavin Strawhan – The University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau
2022
- Katie Newton – The University of Auckland
- Cheyenne Thomas – Auckland University of Technology
- Ronella Nadia Nafanua Purcell – Victoria University of Wellington
2021
- Clare Travaglia – The University of Auckland
- Heather-Joan Eardley – Auckland University of Technology
- Isaac Martyn – Victoria University of Wellington
2020
- Rostislava Pankova-Karadjova – The University of Auckland
- Madeleine Williamson – Auckland University of Technology
- Kōtuku Nuttall – Victoria University of Wellington
2019
- Shelley Burne-Field – The University of Auckland
- Jessie Puru – Auckland University of Technology
- Catarina de Peters Leitao – Victoria University of Wellington
2018
- Carolyn Cossey – The University of Auckland
- Cassandra Barnett – Victoria University of Wellington
2017
- Amelia Louise Langford – The University of Auckland
