BNZ Katherine Mansfield Awards have opened

Bank of New Zealand Katherine Mansfield Awards have opened

New Zealand storytellers take note - entries for the Bank of New Zealand Katherine Mansfield Awards are open and the prize money has doubled.

The annual awards were established in 1959 and are New Zealand’s premier short story competition. Previous winners include Frank Sargeson, Keri Hulme and CK Stead.

Andrew Whitechurch, Bank of New Zealand’s general manager for business development and strategy, says the prize money for the premier award, the Bank of New Zealand Katherine Mansfield Award, has doubled to $10,000.

“The Bank of New Zealand Katherine Mansfield Awards are New Zealand’s most established writing competition and we’ve doubled the prize money to reflect this. We also want to see more entries this year, and hopefully the increased prize money will attract some fierce competition,” says Mr Whitechurch.

There are three categories for writers to take part in: Bank of New Zealand Katherine Mansfield Award (prize $10,000) Bank of New Zealand Novice Writers Award (prize $1,500) Bank of New Zealand Young Writers Award (prize $1,500, $1,500 given to the winning school and a creative writing workshop hosted by a New Zealand writer)

Each section is judged anonymously by respected New Zealand writers. Their identity is only revealed when entries have closed.

Mr Whitechurch says he hopes to see more entries in the Young Writers category this year particularly as the youth market continues to be a key focus for Bank of New Zealand.

“We want to encourage students to write more stories. Bank of New Zealand is making strong inroads in the youth market, and part of our approach is to encourage and support success amongst today’s youth.”

“Success in the Katherine Mansfield Awards can lead young New Zealanders to achieve in other endeavours,” says Mr Whitechurch.

Entries for the annual awards can be submitted online through the Bank of New Zealand’s website http://www.bnz.co.nz. Entry forms are also available from all Bank of New Zealand branches.

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