The Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry is an award at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, presented annually to the winner of the poetry category. The winner receives a 10,000 prize.
History The New Zealand Book Awards were set up by the New Zealand Literary Fund, a government organisation, in 1976. Annual awards were presented for literary merit in fiction, non-fiction, poetry and (later) book production.
The Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards, New Zealand's other principal literary awards event, did not specifically award poetry prizes until 1994, when sponsorship was taken over by Montana Wines and the event's name was changed to the Montana Book Awards. In 1994 and 1995, the Montana Book Awards included a category for poetry.
In 1996, the two awards events were merged to create the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, and offering prizes in six categories, including poetry. In 2010, the New Zealand Post took over as sponsor, having supported the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults for the previous 14 years.
In 2015, Auckland property development firm Ockham Residential assumed sponsorship of the awards. No prizes were presented in that year. The Poetry Award was presented from 2016 to 2019. In 2020, the name of the award was changed to the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry.
Winners of the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry, 2020–present 2026: Nafanua Purcell Kersel, Black Sugarcane, Te Herenga Waka University Press 2025: Emma Neale, Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit, Otago University Press 2024: Grace Yee, Chinese Fish. Giramondo Publishing 2023: Alice Te Punga Somerville, Always Italicise: How to Write While Colonised. Auckland University Press. 2022: Joanna Preston, Tumble. Otago University Press 2021: Tusiata Avia, The Savage Coloniser Book. Victoria University Press 2020: Helen Rickerby, How to Live. Auckland University Press
Winners of the Ockham New Zealand Book Award for Poetry, 2016–2019 2019: Helen Heath, Are Friends Electric?. Victoria University Press 2018: Elizabeth Smither, Night Horse. Auckland University Press 2017: Andrew Johnston, Fits & Starts. Victoria University Press 2016: David Eggleton, The Conch Trumpet. Otago University Press
Winners of the New Zealand Post Book Award for Poetry, 2010–2014 2014: Vincent O'Sullivan, Us, Then. Victoria University Press 2013: Anne Kennedy, The Darling North. Auckland University Press 2012: Rhian Gallagher, Shift. Auckland University Press 2011: Kate Camp, The Mirror of Simple Annihilated Souls. Victoria University Press 2010: Brian Turner, Just This. Victoria University Press
Winners of the Montana New Zealand Book Award for Poetry, 1996–2009 2009: Jenny Bornholdt, The Rocky Shore. Victoria University Press 2008: Janet Charman, Cold Snack. Auckland University Press 2007: Janet Frame, The Goose Bath. Vintage 2006: Bill Manhire, Lifted. Victoria University Press 2005: Vincent O'Sullivan, Nice morning for it, Adam 2004: Anne Kennedy, Sing-song 2003: Glenn Colquhoun, Playing God 2002: Hone Tuwhare, Piggy-Back Moon 2001: Allen Curnow, The Bells of Saint Babels 2000: Elizabeth Smither, The Lark Quartet 1999: Vincent O'Sullivan, Seeing You Asked 1998: Hone Tuwhare, Shape-Shifter 1997: Jenny Bornholdt, Gregory O'Brien, Mark Williams, eds., Anthology of New Zealand Poetry in English 1996: Bill Manhire, My Sunshine
Winners of the Montana Book Award for Poetry, 1994–1995 1995, Michael Jackson, Pieces of Music 1994, Bill Manhire, ed., 100 New Zealand Poems
Winners of the New Zealand Book Award for Poetry, 1976–1995 1995: Michele Leggott, Dia 1994: Andrew Johnston, How to Talk 1993: Brian Turner, Beyond 1992: Bill Manhire, Milky Way Bar 1991: Cilla McQueen, Berlin Diary 1990: Elizabeth Smither, A Pattern of Marching 1989: Cilla McQueen, Benzina 1988: Anne French, All Cretans are Liars 1987: Allen Curnow, The Loop in Lone Kauri Road 1987: Elizabeth Nannestad, Jump 1986: Kendrick Smithyman, Stories About Wooden Keyboards 1985: Bill Manhire, Zoetropes 1984: Fleur Adcock, Selected Poems 1983: Allen Curnow, You Will Know When You Get There 1983: Cilla McQueen, Homing In 1982: Alistair Campbell, Collected Poems 1981: Michael Jackson, Wall 1988: Allen Curnow, An Incorrigible Music 1979: Kevin Ireland, Literary Cartoons 1978: Bill Manhire, How to Take Your Clothes Off at a Picnic 1978: Ian Wedde, Spells for Coming Down 1977: Ruth Dallas, Walking in the Snow 1977: Alan Loney, Dear Mondrian 1976: Louis Johnson, Fires and Patterns 1976: C.K. Stead, Quesada
See also List of poetry awards List of years in poetry List of years in literature
Notes
External links Official website of the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards