Morbid themes and tragedies dominate BNZ Short Short Story Award

True to our Kiwi gothic roots, death, suicide, bullying and homelessness have proven to be popular topics among entrants for the inaugural BNZ Short Short Story Award, which closed for submissions this week.

Judge Graham Beattie says, “There is some darkness out there but the calibre of entries is really exciting.

“The Literary Awards were founded 52 years ago to celebrate one of New Zealand’s most innovative writers, Katherine Mansfield. Continuing in this spirit, the Short Short Story Award is an exiting new development in the continued evolution of modern literature.

“This competition seems to have provided an accessible creative outlet for writers who have experienced tragic events. The Christchurch earthquake featured in many stories along with topical events such as Easter, ANZAC Day, the death of Osama bin Laden and the launch of KFC's new Double Down Burger. In typical Kiwi style we even received a story about a pie eating competition.”

This new category of the BNZ Literary Awards received more than 300 submissions and was run entirely on Facebook with stories of 100 to 150 words being submitted on a vast range of topics.

To view submissions, go to facebook.com/bnzbank. The winner of the $500 prize will be announced on 31 May.