Schrader wins 2017 CLNZ Writers’ Award

Freelance historian Ben Schrader has won the second annual Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) Writers’ Award for nonfiction, worth NZ$25,000 (A$22,720), to help support his project Won and Lost: Saving New Zealand’s Built Heritage 1885-2016.

Scharder is the author of We Call It Home: A History of State Housing of New Zealand and The Big Smoke: New Zealand Cities 1840-1920, which was shortlisted for the 2017 New Zealand Book Awards.

The award is open to writers working in any genre of nonfiction, and enables the winner to devote time to a specific writing project. The award received 39 applications.

Funding for the award came from CLNZ’s Cultural Fund, which receives revenue from CLNZ’s licensing activity in New Zealand.  CLNZ CEO Paula Browning said the organisation’s report into New Zealand writers’ earnings, which was released earlier this year, ‘proved that it’s more important than ever that writers are supported to have time to write’. ‘This is especially true for heavily researched nonfiction subjects like the one that this years’ award winner will be undertaking,’ said Browning.

For more information about the award, click here.

Category: Awards Local news