CALLING AUTHORS
Entries Open for New Zealand’s Leading Short Story Awards

Eager authors are encouraged to put pen to paper and enter one of New Zealand’s favourite literary competitions – the Sunday Star-Times Short Story Awards 2010.

The awards, in association with Random House, and new sponsor Whitcoulls, give both published and unpublished writers the opportunity to star in print as well as win cash and book prizes.

Etched into the New Zealand literary calendar, the Sunday Star-Times Short Story Awards have showcased some of New Zealand’s leading writers including Linda Olsson, Sarah Quigley, Norman Bilbrough, Andre Ngapo and Sarah Laing.

The 2010 awards welcome a new literary judging panel including award-winning authors Joy Cowley (Hunter, Mrs Wishy Washy, Snake & Lizard) and Charlotte Grimshaw (Singularity, Opportunity, Provocation) who will be selecting ten finalists from the entries.

The four categories include the Open Division (judged by Charlotte Grimshaw), Secondary School Division (judged by Joy Cowley), Best Unpublished Writer and the popular People’s Choice Awards.

The People’s Choice Award allows the public to read excerpts of the ten finalists’ stories and vote for their favourite short story online.  The winner of this category is decided entirely by public vote and wins $750 cash, publication of their story in Sunday Star-Times and $250 worth of books from Random House.

Entries to the 2010 awards close 27 August 2010 with winners announced at an awards ceremony on 28 October 2010. 

The Awards were launched in 1984 with a vision to recognise and encourage the talent of aspiring New Zealand writers and are now in their 26th year. 

Last year, over 1400 entries to the awards were received.  The supreme award for the Open Division went to Waimate writer Sue Francis for ‘The Concentrators’, a small town New Zealand story about an unlikely friendship between two young women who meet every Friday night over a game of tennis.

For more information about the 2010 awards visit www.shortstory.co.nz

Prizes:

Open Division
1st prize: $5000 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times and $500 worth of books from Random House
2nd prize: $2000 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times and $300 worth of books from Random House
3rd prize: $1000 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times and $200 worth of books from Random House

Secondary School Division
1st prize: $1000 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times, work experience day at Random House (day immediately after awards ceremony) PLUS $500 worth of Random House books and a $500 Whitcoulls gift card for the finalist’s school.

2nd prize: $500 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times PLUS $300 worth of Random House books and a $300 Whitcoulls gift card for the finalist’s school

3rd prize: $250 cash, story published in the Sunday Star-Times PLUS $200 worth of Random House books and a $200 Whitcoulls gift card for the finalist’s school.

BEST UNPUBLISHED WRITER
A Random House experience with key members of the company, including time with fiction publisher Harriet Allan and $200 worth of books from Random House.

PEOPLES’ CHOICE AWARD
$750 cash, story published in Sunday Star-Times and $250 worth of books from Random House.