Monday, June 27, 2011

Surprises for many in PANZ Book Design Awards shortlist

Judges of this year’s PANZ Book Design Awards expect some controversy with the release of their shortlisted titles for the hotly contested accolades.

“These awards are all about design, not the quality of writing or how much was spent on production values. Some of the books failed to make the shortlist due to a lack of consistency between the cover design and the interior pages. It had to be a complete package,” says convening judge Sharon Grace. 
“Fortunately the overall standard of entries was so high that choosing the books in the shortlist, though it was by no means easy, has resulted in a selection that the book design industry can be proud of.”

The Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ) announced its shortlist for the 2011 book design awards today. The list is remarkable for its diversity. It ranges from large-scale art books such as Hauaga: The Art of John Pule to small format works on popular culture such as It’s in the Post: The Stories Behind New Zealand Stamps. No matter how much argument the choices generate, the list certainly reflects our diverse design profile.

Among notable features in this year’s awards is the entry of the New Zealand School Journal, which is shortlisted in the educational book category. . The judges were pleased to see an increase in the number of books entered and the standard of design in the educational book category. And there is double acknowledgement for No Fretful Sleeper: A Life of Bill Pearson which appears in the non-illustrated book and cover shortlists.


One reason for the high level of interest in the awards is that they can bring overnight success to designers, says one of last year’s winners, Kim Dovey from Book Design Ltd: “We were totally unprepared for the impact this award would have on our business.....We found that our business became more reputable overnight.”

The 2011 judging panel is Sharon Grace, a designer and judge of the PANZ Book Design Awards in 2010, Eden Potter, a visual communications designer and educator, and Paul Little, New Zealand books editor for North and South magazine. The judges selected these titles from 136 entries, from 33 publishers.
Since 1997 PANZ has run New Zealand’s only competition for book design, recognising outstanding work by New Zealand book designers.

An exciting new development is the new dedicated website for the PANZ Book Design Awards.

The winning designers will be announced at an awards ceremony in Auckland on 25 August, along with the Awa Press Young Designer of the Year.


PANZ Book Design Awards Shortlist 2011

Random House New Zealand Award for Best Illustrated Book

Designer: Spencer Levine (cover), Katrina Duncan (interior)                        
Title: Blue Smoke: The Lost Dawn of New Zealand Popular Music 1918-1964
Author: Chris Bourke
Publisher: Auckland University Press

Designer: Spencer Levine (cover), Katrina Duncan (interior)
Title: Group Architects: Towards a New Zealand Architecture
Author: Julia Gatley
Publisher: Auckland University Press

Designer: Sarah Elworthy
Title: It’s in the Post: The Stories behind New Zealand Stamps
Author: Richard Wolfe
Publisher:  Craig Potton Publishing

Mary Egan Award for Best Typography        

Designer: Fiona Moffat (cover), Wendy Harrex
Title: Hauaga: The Art of John Pule
Author:  Nicholas Thomas (ed)
Publisher: Otago University Press

Designer: Christine Hansen
Title: Stunning Debut of the Repairing of a Life
Author: Leigh Davis
Publisher: Otago University Press


Designer: Kate Barraclough
Title: Classic: The Revival of Classic Boating in New Zealand
Author: Ivor Wilkins
Publisher: Random House New Zealand

Pearson Award for Best Educational Book

Designer: Liz Tui Morris        
Title: Leprechaun Ice Cream
Author: Various
Publisher: Learning Media Te Pou Taki Kōrero

Designer: Marie Low (cover), Esther Chua (interior)
Title: Principles of Accounting 4th edition
Author: Murray Smart, Nazir Awan and Richard Baxter
Publisher: Pearson

Designer:  Jodi Wicksteed
Title: School Journal Part 3 Number 3 2010
Author: Various
Publisher: Learning Media Te Pou Taki Kōrero
Hachette New Zealand Award for Best Non-Illustrated Book

Hachette New Zealand Award for Best Non-Illustrated Book

Designer: Katy Yiakmis
Title: Chancers and Visionaries: A History of Wine in New Zealand
Author: Keith Stewart 
Publisher: Random House New Zealand

Designer: Keely O’Shannessy (cover), Katrina Duncan (interior)
Title: No Fretful Sleeper: A Life of Bill Pearson
Author: Paul Millar
Publisher: Auckland University Press

Designer: Pieta Brenton
Title: The Great Wrong War: New Zealand Society in WW1
Author: Stevan Eldred-Grigg
Publisher: Random House New Zealand

Scholastic New Zealand Award for Best Children’s Book

Designer: Sarah Nelisiwe Anderson
Title: Hester’s Blister
Author: Chris Gurney
Publisher: Scholastic New Zealand

Designer: Vasanti Unka
Title: Hill & Hole
Author: Kyle Mewburn and Vasanti Unka
Publisher: Penguin Books (NZ)

Designer: Sarah Elworthy and David Elliot
Title: The Moon and Farmer McPhee
Author: Margaret Mahy, illustrated by David Elliot
Publisher: Random House New Zealand

HarperCollins Award for Best Cover

Designer: Spencer Levine  (cover)
Title: Eep!
Author: Joke van Leeuwen    
Publisher: Gecko Press
           
Designer: Keely O’Shannessy (cover)
Title:  No Fretful Sleeper: A Life of Bill Pearson
Author: Paul Millar
Publisher: Auckland University Press

Designer: Greg Simpson (cover)
Title: The Lives of the Poets
Author: John Newton
Publisher: Victoria University Press


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