We were delighted to receive a very strong field of over 70 submissions for the inaugural Signals Young Writers Awards 2021. Our Judge Kate de Goldi, gave this feedback – “All the shortlisted entries were interesting – real talent and, importantly, extremely well-developed craft skills. I think the thing that distinguished the winning entries for me was the writers’ stylistic control and their capacity for compression – knowing what to leave out, the power of implication – and the feeling of a discernible voice at work on the page”.
We are very happy to announce the young writers who have received an award in the three categories of Fiction, Non-fiction and Poetry. They receive a cash prize ($150 each) and the overall winner also receives a writing mentorship with a Penguin Random House New Zealand author and an additional $150.
The winners are:
Poetry: ‘Waterside Walk‘ by Jackson McCarthy
Non-fiction: ‘Good Catholic’ by Ruby Macomber
Fiction: ‘Raumati’ by Stella Weston
Overall Winner: Ruby Macomber
Congratulations to all three winners and huge thanks to all those who submitted, to our judge Kate de Goldi and also to Penguin Random House New Zealand for their support.
View the winning submissions via the links above.
Writers shortlisted for the awards include: Angela Tolifau, Anthony Pita (Highly Commended), Darla Rennie, E. Wen Wong, Ella Quarmby, Fineen Hingston, Holly Gao, Josi Hamill, Lauren Gibson, Lucy Barge, Maddie van Leeuwen, Ruby Macomber (for Fiction) and Sarah-Kate Simons.
