Writer 2026 winners named

By Ōtepoti He Puna Auaha | Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature | Posted: Wednesday Oct 21, 2026

Congratulations to all the winners with a big congratulations to our very own Sarah Gallagher.

Capturing small things lead to big wins.

Ka rawe to the winners of the 2026 Otago Writer Competition.

Judge Paddy Richardson says that this year’s prompt, ‘Small things – overlooked details and ordinary moments’, provided an array of fascinating pieces of creative prose and poetry and made choosing winners difficult

The winners:

Student poetry: Annie Hall for Begonia Boyfriends

Student fiction: Anindita Chatterjee for The Second Kettle

Staff poetry: Nat Christensen for The Only Copy

Staff fiction: Tino Mercado for Longganisa – a story of small things

Alumni poetry: Sarah Gallagher for Small

Alumni fiction: Nicki Macklin for Dear Josie

Read more about the winners here: Writer 2026 winners named | University of Otago