Entries for the Honourable Rex Mason Prize for Excellence in Legal Writing will open on 3 April and close at 4pm on 23 June 2017.

The prize, New Zealand's oldest for legal writing, was established in 1973 and commemorates Henry Greathead Rex Mason (1885-1975), one of New Zealand's longest-serving MPs. After completing an LLB at Victoria University College, Mr Mason became a lawyer in Pukekohe. He began a long career as an MP when he was elected to Parliament in 1926.

The prize – which is valued at around $1,000 each year – is managed by the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Law Society, as trustee for the Honourable Rex Mason Trust. Under the terms of the trust, the judges are a nominee of the Chief Justice, the Dean of Victoria University of Wellington Law School, and the Editor of the New Zealand Law Journal.

To be eligible for the 2016 award, submissions must have been published in a New Zealand legal publication between 1 January and 31 December 2016. Entries must be submitted on the official entry form.