Storylines Tessa Duder Award for a YA manuscript 2026

Debut novelist Amy Martin, of Ohaupo, was announced as the winner of the 2026 Storylines Tessa Duder Award at Storylines Margaret Mahy National Awards Day held in Auckland on 29 March.

Presented with the award by Jenny Hellen, publisher for Allen & Unwin and Tessa Duder, Amy revealed that she had been shortlisted twice before, so was especially delighted to hear her third attempt had been successful.

‘This year a record total of 34 manuscripts were received, ‘ said Tessa Duder. ‘Ten really interesting novels made the longlist, with three chosen for the shortlist after much discussion and re-reading. Thanks are due to all who submitted, and specailly to the six judges (three from Allen & Unwin, three from Storylines) who spent much of their summer holidays reading the online submissions. 

‘Amy’s manuscript Ten Thousand Pitches stood out as a thoroughly accomplished work. A sports novel, featuring softball, but so much more than that: also a story about the value of  teamwork and relationships, and a family learning how to cope with stress and adversity.’

The award carries the publisher’s commitment to publication and a $1500 prize. The judging panel was three from Allen & Unwin, three nominated by Storylines, including Tessa Duder.

The two shortlisted writers were Megan Welch of Auckland for The Omegas and Sarah Pratt from Christchurch for A spell to die for.  Megan was chosen by the judges to receive the Friends of Storylines special award of $500 for an unpublished writer on the shortlist.   

June 2025

Maurice Gee: his impact as a children's writer and the 1995 The Fat Man controversy

Tessa Duder's essay on the late Maurice Gee's status as a pioneering children's writer is now on The Sapling website,  It recalls the controversy which raged for some months in 1995 with the decision to award his 1994 novel The Fat Man the AIM Junior Fiction prize as well as the Supreme Award.

The debate, remembered by Tessa as convenor of the judging panel,
centred around its placing as junior fiction. Among those who 
protested that it was young adult book were Dorothy Butler and 
subsequently Margaret Mahy, but Tessa recounts how the decision
was made, afer considerable research and not lightly.   

https://www.thesapling.co.nz/maurice-gee-and-his-impact-on-new-zealand-literature-for-children/
 

Storylines Tessa Duder YA Award 2024

April 2024

The Storylines Tessa Duder Award for an unpublished young adult manuscript was awarded to Auckland writer Kiri Lightfoot at the Storylines Margaret Mahy National Awards Day in early April. Kiri's novel, Bear, was the unanimous choice (from a splendid 32 entries) of the new sponsoring publisher, Allen & Unwin, along with Tessa Duder and two expert Storylines judges.

'Wonderfully fresh and engaging,' was Tessa's verdict on Bear. It is Kiri's first YA novel following two successful picture books Ming's Iceberg and Every Second Friday published some years ago.

Kiri's background includes working as an actor and screenwriter, and she has three school-age children. Bear was published in 2025, was shortlisted for the NZ Book Awards YA, won a Storylines Notable Book Award and won the NZ Booklovers YA Award 2026.

April 2023

The Sparrow: new YA novel

Tessa Duder's YA novel The Sparrow, launched in May 2023, is an historical novel set in rural England, Tasmania and the very earliest days of the settlement of Auckland 1840-41.  Although Tessa has published several non-fiction books, The Sparrow is her first YA novel since the Tiggie Tompson series twenty years ago.   

'Research for my 2015 biography Sarah Mathew: explorer, journalist and Auckland's 'First Lady' led me to think there was another story that could be told: what if a 13-year-old runaway was among the settlers on the two ships in the harbour, alone and fearful of surviving in this raw new settlement. Auckland has a fantastic, if largely unknown founding story, as recorded by the indomitable Sarah Mathew, and it's here seen through the eyes of a young person recently escaped from the infamous Cascades Female Factory in Van Dieman's Land (Tasmania).

'The book is dedicated to all those unjustly and cruelly transported to Australia during the first half of the 19th century, often for only minor offences. Harriet survives Newgate Prison and the terrible 12,000 mile sea journey; through a series of misadventures she arrives in the Waitematã harbour when Auckland was declared New Zealand's new capital on 18 September 1840. The novel closely follows the true historical record through to April 1841, so I hope will be an entertaining read in conjunction with the new emphasis on teaching our country's history.'   

For Notes useful to teachers, librarians and general readers, on the background and themes of The Sparrow, please go to Resource on top toolbar.   

Two awards for Tessa Duder

June 2020

Tessa Duder was among the recipients of civil honours announced in the Queen's Birthday list for 2020.  To her OBE from 1994 has now been added the Companion of New Zealand Merit (CNZM).  The medal was presented by the Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy at Government House, Auckland.

The 2020 Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement have been announced, with the award for Fiction going to Tessa Duder. Leading Mãori academic and author Sir Timoti Karetu won the award for Non-Fiction and Wellington poet Jenny Bornholdt the award for Poetry.  Each award carries a prize of $60,000. 

July 2019

First Map: How James Cook charted Aotearoa New Zealand

Tessa Duder's latest non-fiction book is a handsomely produced narrative of how Lieutenant James Cook created the first chart of Aotearoa New Zealand. The beautiful illustrations are by the acclaimed Dunedin artist David Elliot.

The hardback large format book has been published by HarperCollins, timed to coincide with Tuia - Encounters 250, the commemorations of Cook's arrival in New Zealand in October 1769 being held nationwide from October to December.   

Since it was published in a 1773 book on Pacific exploration and by the Admiralty in 1816, James Cook's chart of New Zealand has long been regarded as one of the most extraordinary achievements in the history of cartography. First Map: How James Cook Charted Aotearoa New Zealand tells the human story behind the creation of the famous chart, following the progress of Cook's six-month circumnavigation of New Zealand over the summer of 1769-70 and piecing the map together as the narrative on H.M.B. Endeavour unfolds.

It is a story of courage and dogged perseverance, demonstrating Cook's extraordinary skills as both cartographer and seafarer and how his encounters with Mãori hapu (disatrous at first, but subsequently ranging from mutually respectful to friendly) taught him much about Mãori life and their rich culture.  

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