Text Publishing and the NZ Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc) are thrilled to announce entries for the 2024 Michael Gifkins Prize for an Unpublished Novel are now open.
The Prize seeks fiction manuscripts by published and unpublished authors who are citizens or permanent residents of New Zealand. It celebrates the life and work of the writer and agent Michael Gifkins. The winner will receive a publication contract for world rights from Text, and an advance of NZ $10,000.
Submissions to the 2024 prize open on 31 July 2023 and close at midnight NZST on Friday 13 October 2023. The shortlist will be announced in the second quarter of 2024 and the winner in the third quarter of 2024. The prize will be administered by the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc). Entry forms and terms and conditions can be found here. https://authors.org.nz/opportunities/nzsa-awards-grants-and-fellowships/michael-gifkins-prize-for-an-unpublished-novel/
The Gifkins Prize is made possible by a generous financial commitment from the Gifkins family and from Text Publishing. It is administered by the NZ Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (PEN NZ) Inc. Previous winners of the Gifkins Prize are Ruby Porter, Tom Remiger, Gigi Fenster, Tom Baragwanath, and Emma Ling Sidnam.
Tina Shaw was announced as the 2023 winner on Friday 21 July. Her prize-winning manuscript, A House Built on Sand (previously titled My Rose) is the gripping story of a mother–daughter relationship, with a mother who battles her unreliable memory to unravel a mystery from her past.
On winning the prize, Tina said, ‘I’m very excited to have won the Michael Gifkins Prize. It’s a huge privilege to be published by Text Publishing and to see my work on a larger stage. This story is one that’s particularly close to my heart, and I know it’s in good hands with Text.’
A House Built on Sand will be published by Text in September 2024.
Emma Ling Sidnam’s Backwaters is a tender, nuanced debut novel about the bittersweet search for belonging. It will be launched at Unity Wellington on 27 September and at Old Government House in Auckland on 3 October.
The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa PEN NZ Inc is the principal organisation representing writers in Aotearoa. Founded in 1934, it advocates for the right to fair reward and creative rights, administers prizes and awards, works closely with the literary sector liaison and runs professional development programmes for writers
