2019 Key Award Dates

Eligibility criteria

1. Entrants must be of New Zealand Māori descent.
2. Each award category is open to adults and school students.
3. The First-time Writer award is for writers who have never had their writing published, either online or in hard-copy format (excluding in a school magazine, on your own blog or on your own website).
4. The Emerging Writer award is for writers who have had an essay, article or a short story published, either online or in hard-copy format.
5. The Published Writer award is for writers who have had their own book published.

The AWARD Categories

• First-time Writer in te reo Māori
• First-time Writer in English
• Emerging Writer in te reo Māori
• Emerging Writer in English
• Published Writer in te reo Māori
• Published Writer in English

Submission Guidelines

1. Entries must be original, your own work, not previously published or under contract, and no longer than 3000 words. Entries can be fiction or non-fiction.
2. Entries may be written in te reo Māori or English.
3. All entries must be submitted by individuals. There is no limit to the number of entries an individual may submit. However, each new submission must be uploaded separately with a new entry form.
4. All entries MUST be submitted online at www.mlt.org.nz as follows:
   1. Saved as a .docx or .pdf file
   2. Title of the short story and category at the top of each page of the entry
   3. Typed in point size 12 or more with double line spaces, and each page should be numbered.

Do not include your name on your work; all entries are judged ‘blind’, i.e., anonymously. Your name should only be on the entry form.

• Entries must be received by 11.59 p.m. on Monday, 8 April 2019. Entries received after this closing date will not be eligible.
• Entries will be acknowledged as received but not returned.
• The Māori Literature Trust and Huia Publishers’ staff, the sponsors (including their staff members), the judges, and their immediate families are not eligible to enter.
• Queries on eligibility or any other enquiries about the Pikihuia Awards should be directed to the awards administrator email: pikihuia@huia.co.nz

Prizes

• The winner of each category will receive a $2000 cash prize. Two highly commended finalists in each category will receive a cash prize of $500 each.
• Selected winners and finalists will be published in Huia Short Stories 13 – the contemporary fiction series published by Huia Publishers. Huia Publishers reserves the right to publish entries without additional payment to the authors.

Judging

• The judges’ decisions are final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
• Finalists will be announced on Wednesday, 26 June 2019 on the Trust website and in a media release.

The Awards Ceremony

• Winners will be announced on Saturday, 14 September at the awards ceremony in Wellington.
• Winners must be prepared to attend the awards ceremony and be involved in promotional activities as reasonably requested by the organisers.