Annual awards for literary achievement that recognise New Zealand writers who have made a notable contribution to New Zealand literature in the genres of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
See previous Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement winners
Amount
$60,000 in each category
Artforms
On this page:
- Who is eligible
- How to make a nomination
- How award recipients are selected
- Notification of results
- Who to contact
Who is eligible
Nominees must:
- be a living New Zealand writer whose work has received acclaim and been acknowledged by their peers and the general public
- be a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
- not be a previous recipient of the award in any genre - see all previous recipients
One award is made annually in each of the three categories:
- Fiction: any genre including novels, short stories, plays and children’s fiction.
- Non-fiction: any non-fiction discipline is acceptable with the quality of the work being the main determinant.
- Poetry.
Acclaim and acknowledgement of the writer in a category will be shown by having:
- written a body of work that has received national acclaim
- received a major fellowship, residency, book award or international recognition
- shown leadership in the New Zealand literary sector.
How to make a nomination
Complete and submit the Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement 2024 Nomination Form by 1PM, 2 August 2024.
Anyone can make a nomination and writers can nominate themselves.
You can only submit one nomination for each award.
Nominations need to include:
- your name and contact details as the person making the nomination
- the name and details of the person you are nominating
- which award you are nominating them for
- why the person you nominate should receive the award (up to 500 words).
How award recipients are selected
Nominations are assessed by an external panel that is convened for these awards. The panel will be made up of registered peer assessors who are senior writers and literature practitioners.
Recommendations are forwarded to the Arts Council for approval.
Final approval for the Prime Minister's Awards recipients sits with the Arts Council.
Notification of results
Recipients of the 2024 Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement will be celebrated at an in-person event (format and date to be confirmed).
We will publicly announce the award recipients later in the year via a news item on our website, a media release and on our social media channels. We will also list award recipients on our website Results - Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement
Who to contact
For more information or advice email pmawards@creativenz.govt.nz
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