Text Publishing and the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (PEN NZ) Inc. are thrilled to announce that entries for the 2024 Michael Gifkins Prize for an Unpublished Novel are now open.
The prize, celebrating the life and work of the writer and agent Michael Gifkins, seeks fiction manuscripts by published and unpublished authors who are citizens or permanent residents of New Zealand.The winner will receive a publication contract for world rights from Text, and an advance of NZ$10,000.
Submissions to the 2024 prize will 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 form and terms and conditions can be found here.
Tina Shaw was announced as the 2023 winner on Friday 21 July. Her prize-winning manuscript, A House Built on Sand, 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 Sidnam’s debut novel, the winner of the 2022 prize, will be published in September 2023. Backwaters is a tender, nuanced novel about the bittersweet search for belonging.
The Gifkins Prize is made possible by a generous financial commitment from the Gifkins family and from Text Publishing. It is administered by the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (PEN NZ) Inc. Previous winners of the Gifkins Prize include Tom Baragwanath, Gigi Fenster, Tom Remiger and Ruby Porter.
For administration and media enquiries, please contact:
Lydia McClelland
Text Publishing
lydia.mcclelland@textpublishing.com.au
www.textpublishing.com.au
Jenny Nagle
New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (PEN NZ) Inc.
director@nzauthors.org.nz | +64 27 627 2728
www.authors.org.nz
