2023 Grimshaw Sargeson Fellows Announced

New Zealand writers Kelly Ana Moreyand Evana Belich have been awarded the prestigious 2023 Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship.

Now in its 36th year, the fellowship is a national literary award offering published New Zealand writers the opportunity to focus on their craft full-time. It provides an annual stipend of $20,000 and an eight-month tenure at the Sargeson Centre in Auckland.

Morey (NgātiKuri, Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa) has published several novels and social histories, earning her the Best First Book Prize at the 2004 Montana New Zealand Book Awards and the 2005 Janet Frame Award for Fiction. She plans to use her residency to work on her sixth novel, Soft Bones, which looks at the everyday lives of five generations of Māori women.

“I’m incredibly proud to win this Fellowship. It is a validation from the literary community that I’m producing good work, which is especially humbling considering I haven’t written a book since 2016. The Fellowship will provide me with the incredible, uninterrupted needed time to finalise Soft Bones.”

Belich is a mediator and employment relations advisor who has always written as a hobby. Her short stories have won numerous awards and her first collection, How to get fired, is due out next February. Belich has recently began working on Suitable Work, a novel based loosely on her great aunt’s experience working at the Westfield Freezing Works in the 1960s.

“I’m incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to focus on Suitable Work full-time. Up until now, my writing has always had to work around my day job. I really appreciate that the Fellowship is open to diverse candidates of all ages and stages of their literary career.”

FrankSargesonTrust Chair Elizabeth Aitken-Rosesaysshe is impressed with the calibre of this year’s fellows and is looking forward to reading their work.

“Kelly and Evana were chosen from an incredibly strong and passionate field of applications. With the opportunity to focus on their craft full-time, we’re confident they will produce fantastic work that adds value to the New Zealand literary scene."

Thefellowship has been recognising and supporting some of our greatest talents for more than 30 years, says Grimshaw & Co Partner Paul Grimshaw.

“We are very proud to support these writers. They will join a large group of distinguished fellows, many of whom are regarded as New Zealand’s most eminent writers.”

About Grimshaw & Co

Grimshaw & Co are leaders in dispute resolution, with experience across all areas of civil and commercial litigation. Established in 2005, Grimshaw & Co are based in Auckland, representing clients across the country.

About Frank Sargeson Trust

The Frank Sargeson Trust was formed in 1983 by Christine Cole Catley, Frank Sargeson’s heir and executor.The Trust aims to continue Sargeson’s lifelong generosity to writers through providing residential fellowships while preserving his house in Takapuna, Auckland, as New Zealand’s first literary museum.The first fellowship was awarded to Janet Frame in 1987. Learn more about Frank Sargeson and the Fellowshiphere.

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