TCA/NZSA Research Grants

Four grants of $5,000 each to support Aotearoa New Zealand authors undertaking research for fiction or non-fiction writing projects.

One grant specifically targets diverse authors and topics, including authors from parts of Aotearoa not broadly represented in writing and publishing, and projects on issues topical in present-day Aotearoa.

E whā ngā karāti, e $5,000 te wāriu o ia karāti, ā, e wātea ana aua mea ki ngā kaituhi o Aotearoa. E aro pū ana tētahi o ngā karāti ki ngā kaituhi kanorau me ngā kaupapa kanorau, tae ana ki ngā kaituhi i ahu mai ai i, e tuhi nei hoki mō ngā wāhi o Aotearoa me uaua ka kitea i roto i ngā tuhinga, i roto hoki i te ao tā pukapuka, ā, tae ana ki ngā hinonga e pā ana ki ngā take o te wā, ki ngā kaupapa o te wā rānei nō roto mai o Aotearoa onāianei.

These grants are brought to you by Tāwhia Copyright Aotearoa and the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc) as part of the Cultural Fund.

A broad range of fiction and non-fiction writing projects are eligible. Some works and projects are excluded, so check the guidelines carefully.

How to apply

Entries Opened	23 May
Entries Close	20 June
Entries to Selection Panel	Week of 23 June
Winners List & Comments	Wednesday 23 July
Invoice judging fee	After 23 July
Winners Announcement/Awards Evening	September (event still to be confirmed)

Submissions must be made online. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified before recipients are announced. Successful recipients will be contacted directly and announced on Tāwhia Copyright Aotearoa and NZSA websites and social media.

[Research grant guidelines link: https://authors.org.nz/clnznzsa-research-grants/application-guide-and-criteria/]

Selection Panel Composition

The 2025 Selection Panel Members are:

Siobhan Harvey – convener
Vaughan Rapatahana
Vasanti Unka

History

CLNZ and NZSA have awarded four $5,000 Research Grants every year for over 10 years to provide assistance to writers who wish to undertake research for a fiction or non-fiction writing project.

You can find a list of past recipients on our website: https://authors.org.nz/opportunities/clnznzsa-research-grants/

Guidelines

A broad range of fiction and non-fiction writing projects are eligible for these grants. Works and projects that cannot be considered include: Academic theses or coursework undertaken as part of any tertiary education programme (including coursework in creative writing), scripts for plays, films or other productions including video games.

Works or projects with a visual component can be considered if the story is conveyed primarily through the text.

Educational books can be included as long as the book is available for curriculum / educational purposes.

The research project must be for a project that is in progress i.e. not yet completed.

The Selection Panel will choose 4 x winners and 5 x shortlisted from the applications received. If, in the opinion of the selection panel, no four entries are worthy of research grants, fewer grants may be given.

One of the four Research Grants is to be targeted at diverse writers and diverse and new topics, writers from parts of Aotearoa society that are not broadly represented in writing and publishing, and writers who propose to write on issues or subjects that are topical in present day Aotearoa. We encourage panel members to look for diversity in all four grants, including the targeted grant.

Applications can be accepted in English or te Reo Māori. If a te Reo Māori application comes in, these will be translated by a panel member skilled in this area.

The winners and shortlisted projects and a judge’s report will be sent to NZSA within one month of the applications being sent to them (we will send to you the week of 10 June).

These recommendations will be presented to the CLNZ Board for their approval.

The recommended application must:

Historically, the CLNZ Board has endorsed the Selection Panel’s recommendations but does have the right to reject a recommendation if they have knowledge about an application that the Selection Panel may not have considered.

Procedures

Applications close on 20 June

In the week starting 23 June, each Selection Panel member will be sent by email the applications – all supporting documents will be available to view and read online.
The Selection Panel can either work by email, videoconference, or phone, to discuss the applications and agree the preferred recipients and shortlist. Claire Hill from NZSA is available to answer questions and help the panel as needed.
Within one month of receiving the applications, the convener will give the results to NZSA along with a few sentences on each of the winning and shortlisted applications, as well as a short summary of the overall applications for the grant.
This will be provided as part of a report to the CLNZ Board which will be prepared by the CLNZ CEO.
After 23 July and the completion of the above, judges to invoice NZSA for the final amount (based on the number of applications), to be paid as a judging fee (please send through invoices as PDFs).
We greatly appreciate the contribution our Research Grant Selection Panel members make and the work they undertake to ensure the grants process is successful in achieving its objectives. As such, we pay Selection Panel members an honorarium as an acknowledgement of their valuable contribution and to go towards covering the time spent reviewing and discussing applications. The honorarium amount for the 2024 Research Grants Selection Panel members is anticipated to be $500, plus GST as applicable, based on the number of applications received in prior years. The honorarium amount will be confirmed once the application period has closed and the total number of applications received has been determined.

Conflict of Interest

Panel Members are expected to declare any direct, indirect or perceived conflict of interest in relation to any application they are assessing. This should be made clear in the long-list provided to NZSA/CLNZ prior to the Judges Meeting taking place. A Panel Member who declares a conflict with an entry will take no part in assessing that entry.

Privacy

As a selection panel member you will review application information electronically and will be provided with access to this information online. Please do not make copies of applicant information. Principle 9 of the Privacy Act 2020 states that “an organisation should not keep personal information for longer than it is required for the purpose it may lawfully be used.” At the conclusion of the selection panel process, please check and confirm via email to awards@copyright.co.nz that you do not have any applicant information stored on your computer, including in your emails, Downloads or Trash folder.