Ronald Hugh Morrieson Literary Awards
Please  read the following rules carefully before submitting your entry.
  1. There are three categories in these Awards: Short Story, Poetry and Research Report. Short story and Poetry have two sections, the Open section and Secondary School section. The Research Article only permits entries from secondary school students.
  2. Short story and poetry entrants in the Secondary School section must have parents/guardians who are residents or ratepayers of the South Taranaki District. The entrants must be attending a secondary school or be home schooled at a secondary school level.
  3. Short story and poetry entrants in the Open section must be over 13 years of age, and must be residents or ratepayers of the wider Taranaki region. You must not be eligible for the secondary school section.
  4.  Research Article entrants must have parents/guardians who are residents/ratepayers of the Taranaki region.
  5. Theme: Short Story and Poetry entries should reflect aspects of present day life in the local area or a revealing character description of a local person rather than science fiction, futuristic or foreign settings.
  6. Theme: Research Article entries for 2020 should be about the following -
    1.  A report about 'A local person who has shaped me.'
  7. Entry to the competition will be online only with entrants submitting their entry (as a Word document in Arial 12 font) via our entry form.
  8. The work must be titled.
  9. Each page must be numbered.
  10. Please ensure you DO NOT have your name or address ANYWHERE in your uploaded document: we judge all entries "blind" and including your name or address will invalidate your entry.
  11. Length: Short story 2,000 words ; Poetry 50 lines; Research article 750-1250 words
  12. All entries must be the original work of the entrant alone and must not have appeared in any publication.
  13. Teachers may advise a student on their work in the initial stages, however, the final entry piece must not be edited by a teacher.
  14. Research article - You must provide evidence of two sources (not within the work itself) and the article must be accompanied by at least one photograph, 3MG, jpg file and must be credited.
  15. Entrants may submit a maximum of five entries in each of the short story and poetry sections. Only one entry is permitted for the research article.,
  16. Entries in poetry and short story must not contain any photographs or illustrations.
  17. Poems may be rhymed or unrhymed and may take any poetic form.
  18. The competition opens on Tuesday June 9 2020 and closes at 11.59pm (NZ Time) on Friday August 14 2020. No entries will be accepted prior to the opening date or after the closing date.
  19. Once an entry is submitted, the manuscript is final. The entry cannot be withdrawn and no alterations can be made to it.
  20. The South Taranaki District Council (STDC) takes no responsibility for entries.
  21. All entries will receive an acknowledgement of their entry immediately on submission.
  22. Manuscripts will not be returned to the entrants.
  23. STDC will endeavour to arrange first publication and/or broadcast of the winning manuscript.
  24. Copyright remains with the author. However STDC reserves the right to publish the winning entries without fee. A selection of the manuscripts (other than the winner) may be chosen for publication (without fee) after the presentation of the Awards.
  25. Winners' names, entry details, biographical information and photographs will be required by STDC for promotional purposes.
  26. The  entries chosen as finalists will be universally formatted to fit our chosen template for publication.
  27. Research Article - the winning student agrees to address a meeting of the Normanby  & District Lions Club following conclusion of the competition.
  28. Stuff's Taranaki Newspapers has the right to use articles for publication as they see fit.
  29. Entries selected for publication (including online); will be subject to editing to usual newspaper requirements before publication. This may include being abridged or in the case of the research article, added to. Where possible this will be in consultation with the author.
Contacting you
1. By entering the competition and providing your details, you are consenting to us contacting you by email, post or phone about the 2020 competition and related events. We may do so to give information, update you on shortlisted entries, let you know about available workshops, invite you to the October Awards ceremony or any other related information.
2020 Shortlisting and Awards Dates
- Thursday October 1 2020 : Shortlists announced
- Wednesday October 28 2020  (7pm) : Awards Ceremony @ Hawera Community Centre, Albion  Street, Hawera
Please note that although shortlisted authors will be invited to the awards ceremony, the ceremony is open to the public, free to attend. Judges will be in attendance.

2020

Competition opens Tuesday June 9, 2020
Competition closes Friday August 14 2020

Shortlist  announced Thursday October 1 2020
For further information please read the Rules and FAQs below. If you cannot find the answer to your query there, please email entries@stdc.govt.nz 

Useful Links

Meet the Judges
Rules 2020
Events and Workshops
About Ronald Hugh Morrieson
Enter Online

Prizes

Prizes in each category comprise:
1st prize $500
2nd prize $300
3rd prize $200
Winner of the research article also receives a 1 year subscription to the Taranaki Daily News

Past Winners

Finalist stories from each year are collated into a book and can be purchased from any South Taranaki LibraryPlus or read easily at http://www.issuu.com

Prizes & Eligibility

  • The Secondary School Section – Two categories ; Poetry and Short Story.  Eligibility – for all secondary school students whose parents/caregivers are residents or ratepayers of the South Taranaki District. Entries are limited to five per person.
  • The Open Section – Two Categories; Poetry and Short Story– Eligibility - for all residents or ratepayers in the wider Taranaki region who are over the age of 13 years and are not eligible for the Secondary School section. Entries are limited to five per person.
  • Research Article – Eligibility – for all  secondary students whose parents/caregivers are residents or ratepayers in the Taranaki region. Entries are limited to one per person.
 
Prizes in each category comprise:
  • 1st prize $500
  • 2nd prize $300
  • 3rd prize $200
Winner of the research article also receives a 1 year subscription to the Taranaki Daily News.

The Awards ceremony will be held on October 28th at the Hawera Community Centre
and is open to the public.