Matariki Short Short Story Celebration 2026
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- Your story must be previously unpublished and no more than 500 words long, excluding the title. There is no minimum word count and longer stories are given no advantage over shorter ones.
- 'Previously published' includes work published in print or digital formats, including personal websites, blogs, newsletters, zines, material behind paywalls, and material previously published and then deleted.
- Send a single story in a Word document (doc. or docx.), 12-pt Times New Roman doubled-spaced.
- Only writers living in Aotearoa New Zealand or New Zealand citizens and residents currently living abroad are eligible to enter.
- Include a third-person bio of no more than 50 words in your Submittable form. Your bio must clearly state your connection to Aotearoa.
- Multiple submissions are welcome. Each submission must be entered separately with its own entry fee paid.
- Submissions open 17th April 2026 and close on 27th June 2026 at NZST 11:59PM.
- There is no theme. Stories about Matariki have no advantage over others. Send us your best!
- Submissions that do not follow these guidelines will be disqualified.
- Editorial feedback is unavailable for those stories not accepted for publication.
- Please note that we won't be selecting long- or short-lists.
- The nine selected stories will be announced on June 28th to celebrate Matariki, published in our August 2026 issue (#117), and receive NZ$150. Payments are via bank transfer domestically. Payments to contributors outside Aotearoa are via PayPal and may not be possible where there are excessive fees.
- takahē acquires first publication rights only. All copyright then reverts to the author. We appreciate the acknowledgment of takahē as the first publisher if your work is subsequently republished.
- We do not offer publication contracts, even on request.
- We do not offer publication contracts, even by request.
- No member of the takahē board is eligible to enter the competition.
- In the event of the competition being cancelled, entry fees will be refunded.