Entries to the 2004 BNZ Katherine Mansfield Memorial Awards open soon, on 1 May. The closing date is 30 June.

These short story awards are now held annually, and carry considerable prestige: past winners include Maurice Shadbolt (1963, 1967 and 1995), Frank Sargeson (1965), Keri Hulme (1975), Vincent O'Sullivan (1979) and Daphne de Jong (1981).

"Double blind judging" is a unique feature of the awards. Respected writers and academics, who remain anonymous until judging is completed, judge each section individually. All entries are anonymous, written under a pen name, and there is no pre-selection of entries.

According to BNZ, "The short story awards commemorate Katherine Mansfield's contribution to New Zealand literature, and assist New Zealand writers to achieve recognition in their own country."The awards are BNZ's longest-running sponsorship, dating back to 1958. The winners of the 2003 awards were:

• Katherine Mansfield Award: Natasha Leitch

• Katherine Mansfield Award Runner Up: Daniel Satele

• Novice Writers Award: Anna Livesey

• Young Writers Award: Lara Markstein

• Memoir Award: Husayn Rawlings

Full details about the latest awards will be available from 1 May 2004 at www.bnz.co.nz/kmawards.