The 2015 Pikihuia Awards shortlist has been announced by the Māori Literature Trust.

“With over 180 entries received this year, we are proud to announce the 14 Māori writers who have been shortlisted in this year’s Pikihuia Awards,” said Eboni Waitere, HUIA Executive Director.

Best Short Story written in te reo Māori

• Darryn Joseph for ‘Taku Ao, Tō Mate Kanehe’
• Vincent Olsen-Reeder for ‘Te Reo o te Kuia’
• Zeb Tamihana Nicklin for ‘Taku Rua Rau’

Best Short Story written in English

• Robert MacDonald for ‘Old Totara’
• Toni Pivac for ‘In The Space of a Moment’
• Aroha Bentson for ‘The Power of Water’

For Best Novel Extract written in English

• Ann French for ‘Hands of Time’
• Anya Ngawhare for ‘Average Kids and Bigots’
• Andre Hetariki for ‘Tangaroa’s Promise’

For Best Short Film Script

• Aroha Awarau for ‘Puti’
• Aroha Awarau for ‘Poi’
• Vicki-Anne Heikell for ‘Priscilla and the Miracles’

Best Short Story written by a Secondary School Student

• Anna-Rose McGarvey, Otakiri School for ‘Enlisted’
• Imogen Porter, Wellington High School for ‘Street Lights’
• Lucy Matehaere, Otago Girl’s High School for ‘Maia’s Bay’

2015 marks 20 years of these Awards being provided. Established by HUIA Publishers as the Huia Short Story Awards in 1995 but renamed the Pikihuia Awards in 2007.

“It has been a privilege to have been a part of the journey of many Māori writers for two decades, including those who are more well-known such as Whiti Hereaka, Tina Makereti, James George, Jacqui McRae, Mark Sweet and Tihema Baker.  However, they all started out similar to those who have entered in this year’s Pikihuia Awards,” said Robyn Bargh, HUIA Director. 

The Awards are about encouraging and promoting Māori writers and the 14 Māori writers who have been shortlisted have shown an excellent level of talent and passion.

Witi Ihimaera judged the novel category and comments – “they show promise, Māori inflections, good intentions and most importantly, the ability to go the distance that a novel requires.”

The awards are run by the Māori Literature Trust and each open category has a winner, who receives a cash prize of $2,000, and two highly commended finalists, who receive $500 each.  In the Secondary School category the winner receives a $500 cash prize and their school receives $250 worth of HUIA books, and the two highly commended finalists each receives a $250 cash prize and their respective school receives $100 worth of HUIA books.

 

HUIA Publishers also provides an excellent opportunity for open category finalists and selected entries by publishing their entries in Huia Short Stories 11.

For more information on the awards go to www.huia.co.nz