Applications are now open for the 2020 Writers’ Award. This award is proudly brought to you by the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) and Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ).
Applications open early to support writers.
Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) and the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) have brought forward the application process for the 2020 Writers' Award as a response to falling incomes and lost funding opportunities during the COVID-19 lockdown. The award, which is usually presented in the last quarter of the year, is one of the highest non-fiction prizes in New Zealand literature and will provide financial support and stability to a writer for their non-fiction project.
- $25,000 award to a New Zealand writer
- one of the highest non-fiction prizes in New Zealand literature
- presented by the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) and Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ)
- brought forward by three months to support New Zealand writers
2019 recipient of the Writers' Award, Rebecca Macfie, said winning the award helped and supported many areas of her writing life.
Winning the Writers’ Award last year was a huge honour, and I am enormously grateful to the NZSA and CLNZ. Financially, it was a great help, as my biography of Helen Kelly is an all-consuming project so I haven’t generally attempted to supplement my income through freelance writing. But even more importantly, it really helped stiffen my resolve and lift my morale.
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. In a broad range of non-fiction genre, specifically including education works, it is the clear intention of the Writers’ Award that a book will be published as a result of winning the award.
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 for the full range of non-fiction genre are welcome. Applicants must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents and writers of proven merit.
Submissions for entries must be made online and are open from Thursday 30 April 2020 and close at 4pm on Friday 29 May. The winner will be announced mid-year and will be publicised widely through CLNZ and NZSA media channels.
An application fee of $25 is required to complete your application. This fee helps ensure the sustainable administration of the grants.
Quicklinks
CLNZ / NZSA Writers’ Award Guidelines
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash