Nationwide search now on for the best books of 2010.  ENTRIES NOW OPEN.


Entries are now open for New Zealand’s premier book awards for contemporary writing – the New Zealand Post Book Awards and the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards. Both Awards celebrate excellence, identifying the very best books written by New Zealanders, published in 2010.

For the second year running, submissions for both Awards are being called for simultaneously – all entries are due by Friday 26 November 2010. The Awards Ceremony for the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2011 will once again be in Auckland in mid-May 2011, with the New Zealand Post Book Awards Ceremony 2011 to be held in Wellington at the end of July 2011.

The management committees for each of the respective Awards met recently to review the successful completion of the 2010 Awards and complete arrangements for next year. Apart from some clarification of the eligibility criteria, they have largely adopted the structure and processes introduced last year when New Zealand Post became the principal sponsor of both Awards. However, timings for parts of each Awards’ programme have been brought forward to avoid clashing with various other events, particularly the 2011 World Cup.

With entries now open, Awards administrators Booksellers NZ again expects an immediate flow of the approximately 2000 books covering around 350 titles to arrive at their Wellington offices before the closing date.

The range of entries is likely to be as diverse as ever – from cook books to poetry, biographies, significant works of history and stunning art books. Books entered for the Children’s Award will include illustrated picture books, quirky novels for young readers and non-fiction books that often appeal to children, young readers and adults alike.

New Zealand Post Group Chief Executive Brian Roche said that the company’s association with both Awards this year had been very exciting and stimulating. “New Zealand Post has proudly sponsored the Children‘s Book Awards for 15 years and in 2010 we extended our support to include the New Zealand Book Awards. These two Awards are highlights in our wider support of literature and reading in the community. I am sure that entries for the 2011 Awards will again demonstrate the wealth of writing talent and publishing engaged in telling the stories, fiction and fact of our society.”

New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2011

Books will be judged in four main categories: Picture Book, Non-fiction, Junior Fiction and Young Adult Fiction. A finalist list of 20 will comprise: 5 Picture Books, 5 Non-fiction, 5 Junior Fiction and 5 Young Adult Fiction finalists. A Children’s Choice Award and an overall New Zealand Post Children’s Book of the Year will be chosen from these 20 finalists. Books submitted in the four main categories, written by first-time authors, will also be eligible to win the Best First Book Award.

Winners of the four Category Awards will each receive $7,500. The overall winner of the New Zealand Post Children’s Book of the Year Award will receive a further $7,500. The winner of the coveted Children’s Choice Award receives $2,000 as does the winner of the Best First Book Award.

The finalists will be announced on Tuesday 22 February 2011, and the nationwide festival celebration will take place from 9-17 May 2011. The winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony in Auckland on Wednesday 18 May 2011 (date tbc).

New Zealand Post Book Awards 2011

Books will be judged in four main categories: Poetry, Fiction, Illustrated Non-fiction and General

Non-fiction. A finalist list of 16 will comprise: 3 Poetry, 3 Fiction and 5 finalists in each of the Illustrated Non-fiction and General Non-fiction categories. One Book of the Year will be chosen from these 16 finalists.

Books submitted in the four main categories, written by first-time authors, will also be eligible to win the New Zealand Society of Authors Best First Book Awards for Poetry, Fiction and Non-fiction.
Books written entirely in Te Reo, will be judged for the Māori Language Award.

The extremely popular People’s Choice Award is the public’s opportunity to vote for their favourite book of the 16 finalist titles, as selected by the judges.

The prize pool will see the overall winner of the Book of the Year Award receiving $15,000. Winners of the four Category Awards will each receive $10,000, the Māori Language Award $10,000, People’s Choice Award $5,000, and each of the winners of the three NZSA Best First Book Awards, $2,500.

The finalists will be announced on Wednesday 1 June 2011. On that day, winners of the Māori Language Award, and of the winners of the NZSA Best First Book Awards for Poetry, Fiction and Non-fiction, will also be announced.

The winners of the four Category Awards, People’s Choice Award and Book of the Year will be announced at a ceremony to be held in Wellington at the end of July 2011 (date tbc).

Submissions are welcome from today. Books can either be submitted by publishers on behalf of authors, or self-published works entered by the author directly. All titles are then checked to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria, and put before the respective judging panels for careful consideration.

The judging panel for the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards will be announced at the beginning of December 2010, and judges for New Zealand Post Book Awards announced in late January - the members of both panels are selected for their broad range of literary skills and expertise. The panels have in the past included some of this country’s most highly respected authors, academics, reviewers, publishers and booksellers.

How to Enter the Awards

Those wishing to enter a book in the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards 2011 and or the New Zealand Post Book Awards 2011, can download the Entry Forms and information from: http://www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz/. The entry forms are also attached as pdfs to this email.

Closing Dates

Titles published between 1 January 2010 and 29 October 2010 must be submitted by 29 October 2010. Titles published between 30 October 2010 and 31 December 2010 must be submitted by 26 November 2010.

(For titles scheduled to be released after 26 November, the entry forms must be submitted before deadline, with copies of the book to be supplied no later than Friday 7 January 2011).

Submissions received after 26 November 2010, will not be considered.