The 2021 Sargeson Prize launches today, on Thursday April 1.

The Sargeson Prize is New Zealand’s richest short story prize, supporting our country’s creative writing talent – including the younger generation. Now in its third year, the competition is named for celebrated New Zealand writer Frank Sargeson, and is sponsored by the University of Waikato. It was established by Catherine Chidgey, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Waikato, in 2019.

Acclaimed New Zealand writer Patricia Grace is the chief judge in this year’s Sargeson Prize. 

“We are enormously lucky to have her as a judge, and she brings such mana to the competition,” says Chidgey. “She’s put New Zealand literature on the map internationally, and she’s hugely respected. Her stories are well-known and loved.”

For more information on the Sargeson Prize, see the attached media release or visit the University of Waikato website here.

This year, winning stories in both the Open and Secondary Schools category will be published online on ReadingRoom, the literary arm of Newsroom.