One way of getting published is to enter your work into writing competitions. Winning an award is the way many top New Zealand poets and writers have started their careers.
New Zealand writing competitions
Rainbow Storytelling Competition
As part of the Out of the Shelves campaign in June each year, InsideOUT Kōaro runs a national rainbow storytelling competition to celebrate and encourage budding rainbow, takatāpui and MVPFAFF+ storytellers to share their work. There are two age categories – under 16 and 16 – 24. For each age category there are two storytelling categories – open and poetry. Rainbow Māori and Pasifika writers may also opt to have their work considered for the Māori and Pasifika award categories.
The competition will open at the end of May 2024.
Find out more: Rainbow Storytelling Competition
Sargeson Prize - short story competition
The Sargeson Prize is New Zealand's richest short story prize, sponsored by the University of Waikato. Named for celebrated New Zealand writer Frank Sargeson, the Prize was conceived by writer Catherine Chidgey, who also lectures in Writing Studies at the University. Entries open on 1 April for the Sargeson Prize and close at 11.59pm (NZST) on 30 June 2024. There is no entry fee, and entries are limited to one per writer, per division. The Open Division is open to New Zealand citizens or permanent residents aged 16 and over who are writing in English. Published and unpublished writers are welcome to enter. Entries must be single stories of no more than 5000 words. They must be original, unpublished pieces of work.
- First Prize: $10,000
- Second Prize: $1,000
- Third Prize: $500
The winning stories will be published by Newsroom in its literary section ReadingRoom, opens a new window.
The Secondary Schools Division is open to students enrolled at a New Zealand secondary school, or home-schooled students, who are aged between 16 and 18 years on the date that competition entries close. Entries must be single stories of no more than 3000 words. They must be original, unpublished pieces of work.
- First Prize: $2,000
- Second Prize: $1,000
- Third Prize: $500
The winning story will be published by Newsroom in its literary section ReadingRoom, opens a new window. The winner of the Secondary Schools Division will also be offered a one-week summer residency at the University of Waikato, to be taken up in January or February of the following year. The residency will include accommodation and meals at one of the University of Waikato Halls of Residence, a writing space in the School of Arts, and mentoring from postgraduate students and/or academic staff in the Writing Studies programme. If the winner is under 18 years of age, parental consent will be required.
Find out more: Sargeson Prize
Takahē
Takahē runs annual poetry and short story competitions. The Takahē Collective Trust is a non-profit organisation that aims to support emerging and published writers, poets, artists and cultural commentators.
The Matariki Short Short Story Celebration 2024 is open from 1st May to 15th June. We’re looking for your best stories of no more than 500 words. Open theme. Selected stories will be published in the August issue and receive $150.
The Monica Taylor Poetry Prize is open from 1st June to 30th September. Judge Renee Liang will read every entry, and the winning poem receives $300.
Find out more: Takahē
Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook Student Poetry Competition
Entries are now open for the Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook student poetry competition. Entries will be judged by Yearbook editor Tracey Slaughter and the winning poems from each year group will be published in the 2025 edition of the Yearbook. There is a monetary prize for the first, second and third prize winners of each year group, thanks to the University of Waikato: $500 (first place), $300 (second place) and $100 (third place). Each winning poet and their school will also receive a copy of the book.
Entries close 5 July 2024
Find out more: Poetry New Zealand Yearbook student poetry competition
National Schools Poetry Award
The National Schools Poetry Award is held annually. It is free to enter and open to Year 12 and 13 students across New Zealand.
Entries are now open for the National Schools Poetry Award. Entry deadline: 8 July 2024.
The winner and nine finalists will win cash and prizes for their poems, plus an invitation to attend an exclusive masterclass with leading New Zealand poets at the IIML on Wellington's Victoria University campus.
Find out more: National Schools Poetry Award
Ōtautahi is Flash WORD Christchurch competition
WORD is seeking a series of micro pieces of writing, from all ages, to be featured at The Crossing between August and October 2024 and it is part of WORD Christchurch Festival 2024 programme, from 27 August – 1 September.
What to submit: a memory, a scene, a moment in Ōtautahi
● Up to 100 words
● it could be microfiction, a prose poem or creative non-fiction
● tall tales, true stories or poetic moments about Ōtautahi/Christchurch
● in English and/ or te reo Māori
Entries close Monday 15 July
Find out more: Ōtautahi is Flash WORD Christchurch competition
This project is a collaboration between WORD Christchurch and At The Bay, opens a new window, with the support of The Crossing,, opens a new window the Mātātuhi Foundation and Christchurch City Council, opens a new window.
Re-Draft
Re-Draft is a nationally acclaimed collection of teenagers' writing, published each year by Clerestory Press. Any New Zealand teenager can enter their work. Entries can be any creative writing genre and will be judged by award winning New Zealand writers.
Entries close 23 August 2024
Find out more:
More awards
Pikihuia Awards
The Pikihuia Awards (formerly the Huia Short Story Awards) is a biennial competition that started in 1995 to discover and recognise Māori writers. The awards encourage diverse Māori viewpoints and writing in both te reo Māori and English. Each award category is open to adults and school students.
Find out more.
International writing competition
Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award
For poems written by any young poet aged 11 to 17. Each year 100 winners (85 commendations and 15 overall winners) are selected by a team of high profile judges. Free entry.
Find out more: Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award.
Other publications to submit your work to
Starling - New writing from young New Zealanders
Starling considers work from New Zealand writers under 25 years old at time of submission. Starling is published twice yearly in January and July. Submissions may be made at any time to be considered for the next issue, so the best time to send your work is when you feel it is ready. The editors will read and respond to all submissions as soon as possible, and in any event no later than 8 weeks following the deadline. The editors are unable to enter into correspondence regarding individual submissions or their selections.
The deadlines for work to be considered for each issue are 20 April for the Winter issue and 20 October for the Summer issue.
- Poetry: send up to six poems.
- Prose: Send up to two pieces, each up to a 5,000 word maximum. Prose may include short stories, creative non-fiction, personal essays or anything else you can surprise them with.
Find out more: Starling submissions.
fingers commas toes
fingers comma toes is an online journal for children and young adults created by Lola Elvy and Tristan Deeley in October, 2015, in Nosy Be, a small island to the west of mainland Madagascar.
Find out more: fingers commas toes submissions.
Closed
These awards are now closed, but will be back later this year or next year.
Write On School for Young Writers - Write On Competition
Write On The School for Young Writers runs competitions. Entries closed 26 April 2024.
Find out more:
Pikihuia Awards
The Pikihuia Awards (formerly the Huia Short Story Awards) is a biennial competition that started in 1995 to discover and recognise Māori writers. The awards encourage diverse Māori viewpoints and writing in both te reo Māori and English. Each award category is open to adults and school students.
Find out more.
Sunday Star-Times Short Story awards
This annual competition includes a secondary category. Entries close 12 November 2023
Find out more: Sunday Star-Times Short Story Awards
The Cambridge Autumn Festival Short Story Competition
The Cambridge Autumn Festival’s Short Story Competition is now closed.
First prize is $1000, second prize $500, third prize $250. There is no entry fee and no age limit. The word limit is 1500 words. Entries closed 31 January 2024.
Find out more: The Cambridge Autumn Festival Short Story Competition
2024 Landfall Young Writers' Essay Competition
The competition is open to anyone in Aotearoa aged 16-25. The winners will receive $500 and a year's subscription to Landfall. They will also have their essay published in Landfall 247, coming out in May 2024. Entries close 31 March 2024.
Find out more: Landfall Young Writers' Essay Competition
National Flash Fiction Day Youth Competition
Submit your short story/prose up to 300 words. The NFFD Youth Competition was on 18 March to 30 April 2024
Long lists announced in mid-May, shortlists in late May, winners on National Flash Fiction Day, June 22. Winners and short-listed work will be published in a special edition of fingers comma toes
Find out more: NFFD Youth Competition.
The Elsie Locke Writing Prize
An opportunity for young writers ages 5-13 to develop an original piece of writing for publication inspired by New Zealand history and Elsie's work for peace, the environment, women’s issues, and our community. Submissions can be any writing on a topic - past, present or future - that you think would have been of interest to Elsie. For example: personal narratives, poems, articles, essays, speeches or plays.
The winner will receive $250 and their story will be published in Toitoi. They will also receive a copy of Toitoi’s Jillion 2, opens a new window.
Winners will be announced in Term 4.
Find out more: The Elsie Locke Writing Prize
