$25,000 CLNZ NZSA Writers' Award 2026 Opens
The CLNZ | NZSA Writers' Award of $25,000 is one of the highest value non-fiction prizes in New Zealand literature and it is now open for applications.
He $25,000 te nui o te Karāti Kaituhi o te CLNZ me te NZSA, te karāti mātua mo ngā pakimaero-pono o ngā momo-tuhinga o Aotearoa. Ka taea e ngā Kaituhi te tuku tono mō tēnei karāti.
- Awards $25,000 cash grant to a New Zealand writer
- Assists with research and associated costs
- Is one of the highest value prizes awarded for non-fiction in New Zealand
- Is open now for entries
The award was established to provide financial support for writers wishing to devote time to a specific project, and to cover reasonable research expenses relating to it. Writers with work in a broad range of non-fiction genres, including educational works, can apply.
In 2025 the CLNZ | NZSA Writers' Award was won by Vincent O’Malley for a project about Māori land loss since 1840. O’Malley says he had a clear idea of the kind of book he wanted to write but was unsure how he could make it a reality without funding.
“Receiving the CLNZ/NZSA Writers’ Award meant I could launch headlong into the work, and it’s all come together from there,” he says.
The book is now expected to be published by Bridget Williams Books next year and O’Malley says everyone is very excited about the shape the work is taking.
“None of it would have been possible without the Writers’ Award,” he says.
Throughout its history the CLNZ | NZSA Writers' Award has supported the creation of many outstanding books by local authors, including:
- Rebecca Macfie's Helen Kelly: Her Life (Awa Press), a biography of one of New Zealand’s political legends
- Nic Low's Uprising: Walking the Southern Alps of New Zealand (Text)
- Nick Bollinger's Ockham award-winning book Jumping Sundays: The Rise and Fall of the Counterculture in Aotearoa / New Zealand (AUP)
- Iona Winter’s creative non-fiction project, A counter of moons (Steele Roberts)
- Jade Kake’s Rewi: Āta haere, kia tere (Massey University Press), a tribute to the late architect Rewi Thompson.
Want to Apply?
First: Read the CLNZ | NZSA Writers’ Award Guidelines
Then: Fill in the CLNZ | NZSA Writers' Award Application Form
All non-fiction writers are encouraged to consider applying for the award and applications across the full range of non-fiction genres are welcome. Applicants must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents. It is the clear intention of the CLNZ | NZSA Writers' Award that a book will be published as a result of being a recipient of the award.
Applications must be completed online by 4pm on Friday 17 July 2026.
Unsuccessful applicants will be advised before recipients are announced. Successful recipients will be contacted directly, and we will also publish the announcement on the CLNZ and NZSA websites and via social media.
The CLNZ | NZSA Writers’ Award is made possible through Copyright Licensing New Zealand’s Cultural Fund. The Cultural Fund’s objectives are to protect writers and publishers’ ability to earn revenue from their works; support the creation and production of new works and assist the commercial success of New Zealand works; and grow the number of works created and skills in the industry.
NZSA is proud to be administering the awards in 2026.