2020 Storylines Tessa Duder Award winner

Cristina Sanders of Havelock North was the winner of the 2020 Storylines Tessa Duder Award for a manuscript for a young adult novel with her first YA manuscript, Displaced. The award is sponsored by Walker Books Australia. Linsay Knight, Head of Australian and New Zealand Publishing for Walker Books, says, “As proud sponsor of the Tessa Duder Award, we congratulate Cristina on her win. Displaced is a riveting read and a most worthy recipient of such an import accolade. This story is one that readers everywhere will treasure and hold close to their hearts.”

Cristina grew up in the family’s Gateway Bookshop in Wellington, where all books were tested on children. She had an early career in the book trade: bookshops, libraries, publishers and marketing, and then a career in business. Throughout her career, she read and dreamed about becoming an author. It took a post-grad diploma in Creative Writing to realise that storytelling is not magic but a craft that can be learned, and this inspired her to ditch the day job. She now “joyfully writes more-or-less full time, but occasionally runs away to sea on tall ships. Call it research,” she says.

Displaced is inspired by her family’s immigration from Norway in the 1870s.

Also on the shortlist were:

Lose-Lose by Amy Martin from Ohaupo

Fatty & Skinny by Karen Nimmo from Wellington

The Forever Forest by Sonya Wilson from Auckland

We were unable to present the award in person in 2020. Watch the digital presentation to Cristina instead.

2018 Storylines Tessa Duder Award winner

• Graci Goldhart from Hobsonville, Auckland for When never comes
• Heather McQuillan from Christchurch for Even if your voice shakes
• Joanne Paulsen from Christchurch for Fossil Farm.

Sandra Noakes of Harper Collins represented Walker books at  the Storylines National Margaret Mahy Awards Day on 31 March 2019 to launch Ursa, a powerful alternate history coming-of-age YA novel. Sandra introduced winning author Tina Shaw, and presented her with her award and flowers before the formal launch of the book by Tessa Duder.