Storylines Tessa Duder Award for a Young Adult Novel - new sponsor announced

 

Storylines Children’s Literature Charitable Trust of New Zealand is happy to announce a new sponsorship arrangement with Walker Books Australia for the Storylines Tessa Duder Award for a Young Adult Novel.

The Storylines Tessa Duder Award is a biennial award for a previously unpublished New Zealand author of a Young Adult Novel Manuscript. The award was launched at Storyline’s Margaret Mahy Day on Saturday 29th March – an annual celebration of award-winning children’s writers, illustrators and the presentation of the Margaret Mahy Medal Lecture.

National Chairperson of Storylines, Dr Libby Limbrick stated “We are delighted a renowned publisher such as Walker Books Australia is sponsoring the Storylines Tessa Duder Award. Storylines’ awards have been the spring board to a successful career in writing for young people for many authors. We are confident Storylines’ partnership with Walker Books Australia will help ensure this continues.”

Walker Books Australia, which has offices in Sydney and Auckland, was this week awarded the Bologna Prize for Children’s Publisher of the Year (Oceania Region), and is “thrilled to embark on this association with Storylines,” said managing director and publisher Sarah Foster.

“The Storylines Tessa Duder Award will be a wonderful means of discovering, encouraging and publishing New Zealand’s significant pool of writing talent. Publishing thought-provoking, well written books for young adults – whatever the genre – has never been more important than today. In a world of internet sound bites, young people want exposure to broader experiences in order to make sense of the adult world. Good young adult fiction allows them to do this safely.

Storylines is a national organisation formed in 1990 to promote children’s reading, authors, publishing and literacy, through its annual Festival, awards, publications and advocacy. Its aim is to ensure children in New Zealand have access to high quality literature, and support writers and illustrators of literature for children in New Zealand.

Storylines also functions as the New Zealand National Section of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People), a non-profit organisation, which represents an international network of people from all over the world who are committed to bringing books and children together. For further information please contact Vicki Cunningham.

About Walker Books Australia:
Established in 1993, Walker Books Australia has been bringing the best of children’s publishing to Australian and New Zealand children for over 20 years and is recognised as a market leader in quality children’s publishing. The company is dedicated to publishing books of unwavering quality for children and young adults to read and treasure. Equally, Walker Books is passionate about the Australian and New Zealand Children’s book industry
and renowned as a haven for the most highly talented authors and illustrators, both emerging and award winning.