On 5 October 2009 the annual BNZ Katherine Mansfield Awards were held in Wellington, New Zealand with prizes awarded in the Premier, Novice and Youth categories for the best short story. 2009 marked the 50th anniversary of this event and saw a record number of entries received from writers from around New Zealand. The 2009 winner of the premier prize of $10,000 went to the youngest-ever winner, Wellington writer, Alice Miller for her short story entitled "The Windmill". Premier judge, Dame Fiona Kidman said of this contempory love story, “If the heart does play a role in the choice of a winner, this is the story that tripped mine.”
Notable past winners of this Katherine Mansfield short story competition include some very prominent New Zealand authors including Keri Hulme (author of "The Bone People" which won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction). Other prominent winners have been Maurice Shadbolt (1963, 1967 and 1995), C K Stead (1961), Frank Sargeson (1965), Vincent O’Sullivan (1979), Daphne de Jong (1981), and Kate de Goldi (1991).
Given that Katherine Mansfield’s father, Sir Harold Beauchamp, was a director of Bank of New Zealand for more than 30 years it seems a fitting tribute that BNZ should continue its sponsorship of this prestigous event.
For more on the winners and to download a copy of the winning stories BNZ Katherine Mansfield Awards 2009
Related Articles
History of the BNZ Katherine Mansfield Awards
NZ Arts Council Report - 2009 Winner Alice Miller
Scoop Independent News - 2009 Winner Alice Miller
NZ Herald Article - 2007 Winner Carl Nixon
Book Council of New Zealand Awards and Grants
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