Wikipedia

Adam Foundation Prize in Creative Writing

The Adam Foundation Prize in Creative Writing was set up in 1996 by benefactors Denis and Verna Adam. It is awarded to an outstanding MA student at the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington.

History edit

The Adam Foundation Prize in Creative Writing was set up in 1996 by Denis and Verna Adam (through the Victoria University Foundation), to further their wish of encouraging and supporting the development of creative writing in New Zealand.[1]

Denis and Verna Adam were art collectors and philanthropists who established the Adam Foundation in 1975 to house their art collection and later to support the arts in general, believing that art “nurtures the finer instincts of human beings”.[2] Denis Adam died in October 2018, aged 94.[3]

In 2009, the Prize was awarded for the first time to a work of creative non-fiction[4] and in 2014, a young adult novel, described by Mal Peet as “richly imagined, sinisterly futuristic and morally complex,” was the first of its genre to win the award.[5]

Eligibility and conditions edit

The prize is awarded annually to the author of the best page-based portfolio for the MA in creative writing in the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington.[1][6]

It is awarded by the Academic Board on the recommendation of the Heads, School of English, Film and Theatre.[1]

The prize carries a monetary value (currently $3000)[7] which may vary subject to available funds.[1]

List of winners by year edit

  • 1997: Catherine Chidgey. In a Fishbone Church (novel). Published by Victoria University Press (VUP), 1998.[8] Also winner of the Best First Book of Fiction at the 1998 Montana Book Awards.
  • 1998: William Brandt. Alpha Male (short fiction). Published by VUP, 1999, and subsequently published by Jonathan Cape. Also winner of the Best First Book of Fiction at the 1999 Montana Book Awards.
  • 1999: No award made.
  • 2000: Tim Corballis. Below (novel). Published by VUP, 2001.
  • 2001: Paula Morris. Queen of Beauty (novel). Published by Penguin, 2002. Also winner of the Best First Book of Fiction at the 2003 Montana Book Awards.
  • 2002: Cliff Fell. The Adulterer's Bible (poetry). Published by VUP, 2003. Also winner of the Best First Book of Poetry at the 2004 Montana Book Awards.
  • 2003: Josh Greenberg. A Man who Eats the Heart (novel). Published by VUP, 2004.
  • 2004: Emily Dobson. A Box of Bees (poetry). Published by VUP, 2005.
  • 2005: Michele Amas. After the Dance (poetry). Published by VUP, 2006. Also shortlisted for Best First Book of Poetry at the 2007 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.
  • 2006: Anna Taylor. Going Under: Stories (short story collection). Published as Relief by VUP, 2009.
  • 2007: Eleanor Catton. The Rehearsal (novel). Published by VUP, 2008 and subsequently by Granta in the UK (2009) and Little Brown in the US (2010). Also winner of the NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction at the 2009 Montana NZ Book Awards, and of the 2009 UK Society of Authors' Betty Trask Award.
  • 2008: Lynn Jenner. Dear Sweet Harry (mixed genre). Published by Auckland University Press, 2010.[9][10] Also winner of the Best First Book of Poetry in the 2011 New Zealand Post Book Awards.
  • 2009: Ashleigh Young. Can You Tolerate This? (personal essays).[4] Also winner of the Royal Society Te Apārangi Award for General Non-Fiction 2017 and the 2017 Windham Campbell Prize in Nonfiction.[11]
  • 2010: Rayne Cockburn. Someplace for Boys (novel).
  • 2011: Hera Lindsay Bird. And Together We Fight Crime (prose poetry collection).
  • 2012: Kerry Donovan Brown. Lamplighter (novel). Published by VUP, 2014.
  • 2013: Helena Wiśniewska Brow. Give Us This Day: a memoir of family and exile. Published by VUP, 2014.
  • 2014: Craig Gamble. The Watch List (young-adult novel).[5]
  • 2015: Nick Bollinger. Goneville (music memoir). Published by AWA Press, 2016.[12][13]
  • 2016: Annaleese Jochems. And Lower (novel). Published as Baby, VUP, 2017.[14]
  • 2017: Tayi Tibble. In a Fish Tank Filled with Pink Light (poetry collection). Published as Poūkahangatus, VUP, 2018.[7][15] Also winner of the Best First Book of Poetry at the 2019 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.[16]
  • 2018: Laura Southgate. The Boyfriend (novel).[17] Published by VUP, 2019.
  • 2019: Rebecca K Reilly. Vines (novel). Published as Greta & Valdin by VUP, 2021.[18] Also winner of the Best First Book of Fiction at the 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.[19]
  • 2020: Kōtuku Titihuia Nuttall. Tauhou.[20] Published by Te Herenga Waka University Press (THWUP), 2022.
  • 2021: Sharron Came. Peninsula (novel).[21] Published by THWUP, 2022.
  • 2022: Olive Nuttall. Kitten (novel).[22] Published by THWUP, 2024.
  • 2023: Joseph Trinidad, Lucky Creatures (essay collection).[23]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Prize Details". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  2. ^ Manson, Bess (27 October 2018). "Philanthropist Denis Adam believed art 'nurtured the finer instincts of human beings'". Stuff. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  3. ^ Manson, Bess (18 October 2018). "Godfather of the arts Denis Adam changed cultural landscape". Stuff. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Adam Prize goes to exploration of 'awkwardness'". Creative NZ. 17 December 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Young Adult novel wins Adam Prize". Victoria University of Wellington. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  6. ^ "Prize Winners". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Powerful poetry collection wins Adam Foundation Prize". Victoria University of Wellington. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  8. ^ "Catherine Chidgey". Marlborough Book Festival. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Lynn Jenner". Victoria University of Wellington: International Institute of Modern Letters. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  10. ^ Somerset, Guy (22 July 2011). "Lynn Jenner interview". NZ Listener. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  11. ^ Trapp, Maggie (2 July 2018). "A New Zealand poet turns a lyrical eye on her homeland through essays in 'Can You Tolerate This?'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  12. ^ "Nick Bollinger on his memoir 'Goneville'". Radio New Zealand. 17 December 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  13. ^ "The Xmas excerpt: Goneville, a rock'n'roll memoir by Nick Bollinger". The Spinoff. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  14. ^ Green, Paula (8 December 2016). "Bold new novel wins Adam Prize". NZ Poetry Shelf. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  15. ^ "Tayi Tibble wins Adam Foundation Prize". Radio New Zealand. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  16. ^ "Past Winners: 2019". New Zealand Book Awards Trust. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  17. ^ "'Scalp-prickling dazzler of a novel' wins Adam Foundation Prize". Voxy. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  18. ^ "Prize winners". International Institute of Modern Letters. Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  19. ^ "2022 Awards". New Zealand Book Awards Trust. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  20. ^ "Genre-defying work wins 2020 Adam Foundation Prize". Victoria University of Wellington. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Vivid, absorbing story cycle wins 2021 Adam Foundation Prize". Victoria University of Wellington. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  22. ^ ""Wholesome, consoling love story" wins Adam Foundation Prize | New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc) Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa". The New Zealand Society of Authors. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  23. ^ "The Philippines and Central Otago feature in prize-winning writing". New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc) Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.

External links edit

  • List of Prize Winners at International Institute of Modern Letters, Victoria University of Wellington.
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