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Julia Marshall: 2021 Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal winner |
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Julia Marshall is the 2021 Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal winner for lifetime achievement and distinguished contribution to New Zealand children’s literature, and will be presented with her medal and deliver the 2021 Storylines Margaret Mahy lecture on 28 March at Storylines’ national awards ceremony in Auckland. Julia has been described as “a truly innovative and fearless publisher [whose] standards of excellence never waver”. She has a record of being innovative and brave – no more so than when starting Gecko Press in 2005 after she discovered that Ulf Stark’s classic Can You Whistle, Johanna? had been translated into 20 languages but not English. She began by selecting other quality titles previously unpublished in English, and has continued her approach to publishing quality literature for young people over the last 16 years. More recently, she began publishing titles as te reo Māori editions. She has published numerous books selected for “Best of” lists, including in 2020, The House of Madame M by Clotilde Perrin and Migrants by Issa Watanabe by Kirkus Reviews; Bear Named Bjorn by Delphine Perret in the New York Public Library Best books for Kids 2020; The Gobbledegook Book: A Joy Cowley Anthology by Joy Cowley in the International Youth Library, White Raven selection 2020; and The Mapmakers’ Race by Eirlys Hunter as an IBBY Honour Book in 2020. Early publishing success for Julia and Gecko Press came in the form of Snake and Lizard by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Gavin Bishop, which won the New Zealand Post Children’s Book of the Year award and the Junior Fiction award in 2008. Snake and Lizard was the first original New Zealand title from Gecko Press, then described as a “new, boutique independent publisher”. It is now more likely to be described as a global publishing business. In a recent blog post Julia says, “There is a tendency in English-speaking countries to think that early childhood is a place of innocence, and that we should protect our children and avoid strong emotion and fear. We choose soft, friendly bears over wolves. We choose quick rhymes and sweet, smiling faces. “But children also love another kind of book…, ones that produce the frisson of fear, like the deliciousness of being tickled within an inch of too much. And children too enjoy deciding for themselves what to think, what might have happened, who was right or wrong. “For Gecko Press, story is at the heart of what we publish and we choose books where the problems and resolutions unfold without the reader being aware they are learning about the world, and people in it, good and bad. It is the old adage of show, not tell.” In addition to making Gecko Press a publishing success story, Julia is also strongly supportive of local writers and the New Zealand children’s literature community. Over the past two years Julia has been President of the Publishers Association of New Zealand, and one of the PANZ/NZSA/CNZLA Copyright Working Group set up to protect the rights of writers and illustrators of Aotearoa. Read more about Julia and Gecko Press.Read Julia's Storylines Margaret Mahy lecture here. |
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2020 Margaret Mahy Medal winner: Maria Gill |
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Multi-award-winning non-fiction author Maria Gill is the winner of the 2020 Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal for life-time achievement and a distinguished contribution to New Zealand’s literature for young people. Maria presents the 2020 Margaret Mahy Lecture online on 6 September after the cancellation of the Storylines Margaret Mahy National Awards Day due to Covid-19. Read Maria's profile on our website. |
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2019 Margaret Mahy Medal winner: Mandy Hagar |
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Multi-award-winning Wellington-based author Mandy Hager was the winner of the 2019 Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal. Best-known as a writer of young adult fiction, Mandy has also written fiction and non-fiction for younger children, as well as film scripts and educational programmes. In 2017 she published her first adult novel, Heloise, long-listed for New Zealand’s premier adult Ockham Book Awards. From the publication in 1995 of Tom’s Story for Mallinson Rendel, and for nearly every work of fiction since, Mandy Hager has achieved the unusual feat of winning a major award or being shortlisted. She has also been extensively published by major US publishers. Read the full news release about Mandy’s award here. |
![]() Mandy Hagar was presented with her medal by Bridget Mahy after the presentation of the 2019 Stortylines Margarte Mahy Medal in April 2019 |
2018 Margaret Mahy Medal winner: Janice Marriott |
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Children’s author, screenwriter, mentor, audio producer, editor and teacher, Janice Marriott, was awarded the 2018 Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal for lifetime achievement and her distinguished contribution to New Zealand’s children’s literature at the annual Storylines Margaret Mahy Awards Day on 8 April. Her Margaret Mahy Medal was presented by Prime Minister and Minster for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Jacinda Ardern.
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Prime Minister and Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage Jacinda Ardern, with Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal winner Janice Marriott | |
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Janice Marriott presents the annual Storylines Margaret Mahy lecture
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2017 Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal winner: Des Hunt |
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Des Hunt, of Coromandel, was the 2017 winner of the prestigious Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award for lifetime achievement and a distinguished contribution to New Zealand children’s literature and literacy. Des presented the 2017 Margaret Mahy lecture and received his award at the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and National Awards Day on 2 April. |
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