NZ Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement 2019 announced

Creative New Zealand has announced the winners of the 2019 Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement, worth NZ$60,000 (A$56,160) each.

Novelist, essayist and biographist Elizabeth Knox will be honoured in the fiction category, librettist and translator Fleur Adcock will receive the award for poetry, and illustrator and children’s writer Gavin Bishop will receive the award for nonfiction.

NZ Arts Council chair Michael Moynahan said, ‘Each of these extraordinary storytellers has a unique perspective on New Zealand identity, and has significantly contributed to our country’s literary landscape, creating a strong legacy for New Zealand writers.’

The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Wellington on 14 October.

Established in 2003, the Prime Minister’s Awards for Literary Achievement recognise writers in fiction, nonfiction and poetry who have made ‘a significant contribution to New Zealand literature’. Nominations are assessed by an external expert panel and recommendations are then forwarded to the Arts Council of Creative New Zealand for approval. This year’s selection panel comprised David Eggleton, Lydia Wevers, John Huria and Morrin Rout.

For more information, see the Creative NZ website.

(Pictured: From left Elizabeth Knox, Gavin Bishop and Fleur Adcock)

Category: Awards Local news