Learn more and apply for the Penguin Children’s Bookseller Grant – a $50,000 initiative designed to engage young readers.
Penguin Random House New Zealand, the largest publisher in the country, is thrilled to announce the Penguin Children’s Bookseller Grant, a $50,000 initiative designed to engage and entertain readers aged 0 -12, who are at a pivotal stage in their literacy journey.
Successful applicants will be notified on 11 November and rewarded upon implementation of the project.
About the grant
At Penguin Random House, we recognise the important role booksellers play in promoting literacy. In response to declining literacy levels, we have been exploring ways we could make reading more appealing to young people.
It only takes one good book to make a lifelong reader. To make a meaningful impact on that introduction to reading, we are supporting booksellers with a $50,000 grant to fund initiatives aimed at encouraging children's interest in reading.
We hope booksellers will dream big and be inspired to try their wildest ideas to get kids excited about reading.
Whether it’s events, activations, installations or workshops – we can’t wait to see the ideas that booksellers bring to the table!
The details
Key dates
- Applications open: 18 August, 2026 at 9am
- Applications close: 14 October, 2026 at 5pm
- Winners contacted: 11 November, 2026 at 5pm
Further info
- Successful applicants will receive grants valued up to $5,000 inclusive of GST in the form of credit on customer accounts.
- Applications will be judged in October and November 2026 and rewarded upon implementation of the project.
FAQs
Am I eligible to apply for a grant?
This grant is open to New Zealand booksellers with a dedicated children’s book section. Applicants must have the sale of books as their primary source of revenue. Department stores, discount department stores, supermarkets and any company with more than 15 stores and their related entities are ineligible to apply.
How do I apply for a grant?
To apply for a grant, eligible applicants must, during the grant period complete the Bookseller Children’s Grant Application via the portal below (along with the option to upload any supporting material as a single file, up to 10MB in size).
Apply now
Note that you cannot save and return to your application within the portal, so we recommend drafting responses to the application questions before you start filling it out.
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