At an award ceremony in Auckland on Thursday 16 Septmber hosted by Copyright Licensing Ltd,  the 2010 recipients of the third and final year of the CLL/NZSA Research Grants were announced.  These grants, which were designed to fund the research of either a fiction or non-fiction project, were sponsored by CLL for a maximum of three years. 

Wellington based- writer, Rebecca Priestley, is the recipient of the Stout Centre Research Grant. She is the editor of The Awa Book of New Zealand Science, winner of the Royal Society of New Zealand 2009 Science Book Prize, and co-author of Atoms, Dinosaurs & DNA: 68 Great New Zealand Scientists, published in 2008. She recently completed a PhD on New Zealand's nuclear and radiation history.

This grant will support research for Rebecca's next anthology, The Awa Book of Antarctic Science, which will be published by Awa Press. The selection panel notes that, “This is important topic and will produce a book which will be written at a level which could influence readers to become fascinated by science and by the mystery of Antarctica in particular.” Rebecca will be based at the Stout Centre in Wellington for two months while she researches her project.

Bradford Haami (Ngati Awa, Ngati Kahungunu, Tuwharetoa, Ngai Tahu) is the recipient of the Open Research Grant. An author and journalist, in 2010 Brad was chosen as the Michael King Mâori Writer in Residence. He is currently co-writing a book with Maori Naturalist Ramari Stewart on Whale Traditions of the Maori that will explore the story of whales in the New Zealand environment from a Maori perspective. It will highlight the long association Maori have had with whales in the pre-whaling era and bring to light the special place whales have in Maori culture and tradition.

The selection panel found this to be a well-planned project, which is well advanced and will fill a gap in whaling knowledge.

The grants are worth $3,500 each.

The grants were first offered in 2008.  Peter Wells, who was a grant recipient in this inaugural year, went on to receive the CLL $35,000 award in 2009 for his biography on Colenso.

During the award ceremony, which was held at the Floating Pavillion in Auckland Viaduct Basin, it was announced to spontaneous applause that Copyright Licensing Limited has committed to another 3 years of funding for these research grants to 2013.  The Society of Authors thanks CLL for their ongoing support.