Huia Publishers eagerly await Pikihuia results

This year entries for short stories written in Māori has more than tripled since the last Pikihuia competition in 2009.

With an overall increase of entries from the last Pikihuia Awards for Māori Writers, Huia Publishers eagerly await the judges’ selection of this year’s finalists for the Best Short Story written in Māori, Best Short Story written in English, Best Novel Extract, Best Short Film Script and Best Short Story written by a Secondary School Student. Finalists will be contacted in early June and find out if they have a chance of winning up to $2000 in prize money.  

This year’s judges are Erima Henare (pictured right), the Board Chair and Commissioner of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, who is judging the Best Short Story written in Māori; actor and director for theatre, television and the big screen Katie Wolfe, who is judging the Best Short Film Script written in English; Booker prize winner Keri Hulme, who is judging the Best Novel Extract written in English; and editor and researcher of Māori and Pacific literature Reina Whaitiri, who is judging the Best Short Story written in English.

Finalists announced
The finalists will be publicised on the Huia Publishers website and Facebook page at the end of June.

Winners announced
Winners will be announced at the Pikihuia Awards for Māori Writers awards ceremony on 27 August 2011 at Te Papa in Wellington.

Books will be launched at the awards ceremony.

Edited from a media release supplied by Huia Publishers.