Monday 27 October is the closing date for entries to the Kiriyama Prize. It’s an international competition promoting books that contribute to a greater understanding of the peoples and nations of the Pacific Rim. Cash awards totalling US$30,000 are up for grabs: that's around NZ$50,000 at today’s exchange rate. Half of the cash is given to the author of the winning fiction title, and half to the author of the winning non-fiction title.

Last year’s winners were announced in San Francisco. Indian-Canadian Rohinton Mistry took the fiction prize for Family Matters, and Padaung-Burmese Pascal Khoo Thwe took the non-fiction prize for From the Land of Green Ghosts. You can download the pdf entry form here.