The four secondary school students selected for mentorships will each be matched with a professional writer/mentor in their genre, as part of the NZ Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa (PEN NZ Inc) 2024 Youth Mentorship Programme.

The young writers will hone their writing skills and develop their craft through the year, working on their chosen writing project. We congratulate them on their success.

2024 Youth Mentorships have been awarded to:

• Abbie Mackay - Epsom Girls Grammar School (Auckland)
• Siti Nur Aina Binti Mohd Nazlee - Nga Tawa Diocesan School (Marton)
• Xavier Penfold - Gisborne Girls' High School (Outer Kaiti, Gisborne)
• Leo Reid - Hillcrest High School (Hamilton)

Award-winning writer Tina Shaw, who convened the judging panel along with writer Cristina Schumacher, said that: 'It is inspiring to see the depth of writing talent and ideas across these applications. There are worlds and characters and ideas being explored in diverse ways, and many of the writers already show an admirable commitment to the writing process. How many of these writers will we see in print in the future? It’s exciting to imagine!'

Congratulations also to the shortlisted student writers: Collfíasa Frewen from Te Kura (Porirua) and Zoe Wallis from Katikati College (Tauranga).

The NZSA Youth Mentorship Programme was established in 2010 to foster and develop emerging writing talent around New Zealand with the support of established authors.

It is one of The New Zealand Society of Authors successful mentoring programmes for writers and is made possible with the support by Creative New Zealand.

More about the NZSA Youth Mentor Programme

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