Christine Cole Catley Short Story Award – Winners Announced

Winners for the Christine Cole Catley Short Story Award were recently announced at the NZSA National AGM in Dunedin.  On behalf of judges Owen Marshall and Jenny Cole and the NZSA we would like to heartily  congratulate the winners and runners up in both categories.  

The judges were delighted with the number and quality of entries for the Christine Cole Catley Short Story Award, a format which Christine encouraged and enjoyed.  The theme was ‘For What it Matters’, 1500 words or less of fiction or nonfiction for adult and youth sections.  It produced entries covering a wide range of topics from most walks of life. Relationships have been examined from all angles, as were human emotions and our society scrutinised. 

Winning entry in the adult category was Dear Sir or Madam by Bronwyn Elsmore.

The judges commented that humorous writing is more difficult than most of us realise.  This piece was successful because it wasn’t forced, it sustained the tone, ended strongly, and had a satirical weight and intention behind the clever humour.

Winning entry in the youth category was Writing with the Other Hand by Lydia Bensky.

The judges said that this was a story that could easily take its place in the adult category.  It was short, but achieved considerable emotional force and conviction in its portrayal of  a woman's feelings for her former partner, and had nice touches of original language.

Adult Category

Winner: 
Bronwyn Elsmore – Dear Sir or Madam
Commended Runners Up:
Allan Drew – Something Like That
Allan Drew – Sometimes You Just Gotta Go
Amanda Kenedy - Snowstorm

Youth Category

Winner:
Lydia Bensky – Writing With The Other Hand
Commended Runners Up:
Natasha Lay – Birdson
Madeleine Ross – Relax

Jointly sponsored by The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc.) and Cape Catley Publishing, the purpose of the annual Christine Cole Catley Short Story Award is to provide a platform to support and promote the development of short stories within New Zealand with a focus on encouraging the development of ideas and the nurturing of talent.

The winners receive the following:
Adult Entry - 1st $500 and publication in book form together with other short-listed entries. 
Youth Entry – 1st $250 and publication in book form together with other short-listed entries.
Runners-up receive Certificates of Merit.