It was begun by Chris Price, who was editor at the time, and was sponsored by the Otago University Press.
The competition has been awarded annually since 2009 and is judged each year by the current editor.
The aim of the competition is "to encourage New Zealand writers to think aloud about New Zealand culture" and "to revive and sustain the tradition of vivid, contentious and creative essay writing".
[1][2] In 2017 the Charles Brasch Young Writers' Essay Competition, named for Landfall founder Charles Brasch, was launched, which is an annual award open to young writers between the ages of 16 and 21.
[6] As of 2022[update] there are a number of conditions of entry, including:[7] The winner is announced and published in each November issue of Landfall.