Creative New Zealand
Annual awards of $60,000 each recognising New Zealand writers for notable contributions to fiction, non-fiction, or poetry.
The Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement are annual prizes celebrating New Zealand writers who have made a significant contribution to the country's literary landscape. Each year, one award of $60,000 is made in each of three categories: Fiction (including novels, short stories, plays, and children's fiction), Non-fiction (any non-fiction discipline), and Poetry.
To be eligible, nominees must be a living New Zealand citizen or permanent resident whose work has received national acclaim and peer acknowledgement. Previous recipients of the award in any genre are not eligible.
Strong nominees will have written a body of work that has received national recognition, received a major fellowship, residency, or book award, and/or demonstrated leadership in the New Zealand literary sector.
Anyone can submit a nomination — including writers nominating themselves — but only one nomination per award may be submitted. Nominations must include your contact details, the nominee's details, the category being nominated for, and a statement of up to 500 words explaining why the nominee deserves the award.
Nominations for 2026 must be submitted via the online form by 1:00 PM on Thursday 3 September 2026 (NZ time). Note that the form cannot be saved and resumed, so prepare your responses in advance.
Recipients are selected by a panel of senior writers and literature practitioners, who make recommendations to the Arts Council for approval. The 2026 recipients will be celebrated at an in-person event and announced publicly later in the year.
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