And the winners are…

And the winners are…

8 September 2016

Public Libraries of New Zealand is proud to announce that the winners in its Libraries change lives competition have been decided. The web and social media competition ran during July and August and was designed to encourage stories that demonstrated the “amazing services available in the writer’s community” and the power public libraries have to change and enrich people’s lives.

The winners in the youth category were:

· First prize Samantha Romjin from Wellington

· Second prize: Hariklia Nicola from Wellington

· Third prize: Hanah Adam Shah from Wellington

The winners in the Adult category were:

· First prize: Susan Williams from Wellington

· Second prize: Kaushiki Roy from Wellington

· Third prize: Mahadevappa Rajeshwari from Te Kuiti

“We were thrilled to receive so many stories that showed how public libraries change lives in communities across New Zealand every day,” says Public Libraries of New Zealand Executive Director Tim Antric.

“They connect the lonely, help people find homes and jobs, and encourage a love of reading and learning in the young and old. The stories, sometimes deeply personal, were heart-warming to read.”

He says one of the aims of the competition was to help the organisation understand what people want in their communities so public libraries could adjust their focus for the future and become more of a hub of services – not just somewhere to borrow books.

“And the stories made it abundantly clear that this is something that is already happening,” he says.

A panel of judges selected the top stories in each category which were then shared for two weeks of pubic voting through Facebook to decide the winners. The first prize winner in the adult category received prizes valued at $750. In the youth category the top winner received prizes valued at $350.

Public Libraries of New Zealand say they would like to thank Mighty Ape, GOVIS, Unity Books and the New Zealand Book Council for so generously supporting the competition.

Ends

© Scoop Media