NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize

The NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize is an award for published and unpublished New Zealand writers. It is named after New Zealand writer Laura Solomon, who died in 2019, and funded by a gift from her family. It was first awarded in 2021.

History

The NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize[1] is an award which celebrates and commemorates the life and work of New Zealand writer Laura Solomon. Laura Solomon was a poet, novelist, playwright and software developer and a long time member of NZSA. When she was 22, her first novel Black Light was published, but her writing career was later cut short by the diagnosis of a brain tumour and she died on 18 February 2019, aged 44.

The Prize is open to published or unpublished authors who have New Zealand citizenship or are permanent residents of New Zealand and covers manuscripts from a wide range of genres including fiction, poetry, drama, creative non fiction and writing for children. The judging criteria, as set by Laura Solomon, call for new writing with a unique and original vision.

The Prize was established and funded from a bequest from Laura Solomon and The Solomon Family. It is judged by a three-person panel consisting of one New Zealand literary figure and representatives from the Solomon family and The Cuba Press. The winner is awarded a cash award of $1000 (as an advance) and a publishing contract with The Cuba Press.

The Prize was first administered in 2020 with the announcement of the inaugural winner being made in 2021.

List of winners by year

2021: Lizzie Harwood: Polaroid Nights[2]

2022: Rachel Fenton: Between the Flags[3][4][5][6]

Runner-up: Philippa Werry: Iris and Me

2023: Lee Murray: Fox Spirit on a Distant Cloud[7]

Runner-up: Melanie Kwang: Faultlines[7]

See also

References
  1. "NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize". NZSA The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (PEN NZ) Inc. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  2. Reed, Chris. "Polaroid Nights by Lizzie Harwood". NZ Booklovers. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  3. "Announcing the NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize 2022 winner!". NZSA New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (PEN NZ) Inc. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  4. "National recognition for novelist". Oamaru Mail. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  5. Forster, Sarah (30 November 2022). "Book reviews: new YA from Aotearoa". The Sapling. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  6. Gibson, Nova (8 February 2023). "Between the flags". Read NZ Te Pou Muramura. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  7. "Announcing the NZSA Laura Solomon Cuba Press Prize 2023 winner!". NZSA: The New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc). 19 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
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