New Writer Challenges Old Favourites in New Zealand Post Book Awards 

A Wellington writer’s first novel will go head-to-head with works by two of our most acclaimed authors as finalists in the country’s most prestigious literary honours, the inaugural New Zealand Post Book Awards.
Alison Wong’s As the Earth Turns Silver was selected by a judging panel of five for the Fiction category shortlist, along with award-winning author Fiona Farrell, for her novel Limestone, and award-winning short-story writer Owen Marshall for his collection, Living as a Moon.

Stephen Stratford, convenor of judges for the New Zealand Post Book Awards, said selecting just three Fiction finalists from such a strong field was cause for much debate among the judging panel.
‘It was always going to be a challenge, but we agree that each of these three finalist books is convincing, compelling, superbly crafted and contributes distinctively to New Zealand’s literature’, he said.

Fiction is one of the four finalist categories announced today - reduced from a previous eight - in the new, streamlined Awards structure. The other three categories are Poetry, General Non-fiction and Illustrated Non-fiction.
With just 16 finalists competing in these Awards– down from 26 in previous years - readers can be sure they are getting the cream of New Zealand publishing’s crop.

Stratford, who brings vast experience to the panel as judge for the last Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards in 1983, convenor of the first Montana Book Awards in 1984 and judge for the Montana New Zealand Book Awards in 1999, says reducing the number of categories and finalists means the standard of those selected are exceptionally high.
Joining Stratford on the Awards’ judging panel are poet, short-story writer and novelist, Elizabeth Smither; writer, educationalist and broadcaster Charmaine Pountney; writer, historian and broadcaster Paul Diamond; and nature writer and photographer Neville Peat.
The panel agreed that the standout category this year was Illustrated Non-fiction.
‘ The standard was very high: each finalist is not only a beautiful object but is also a showcase of the book designer’s art, with typography that enhances the text, page layouts that let the images have maximum impact, and superlative reproduction values.’

 The full list of finalists in the 2010 New Zealand Post Book Awards by category are:

Fiction:
As the Earth Turns Silver by Alison Wong (Penguin Group (NZ))
Limestone by Fiona Farrell (Vintage, Random House NZ)
Living as a Moon by Owen Marshall (Vintage, Random House NZ)





 

Poetry:
Just This by Brian Turner (Victoria University Press)
The Lustre Jug by Bernadette Hall (Victoria University Press)
The Tram Conductor’s Blue Cap by Michael Harlow (Auckland University Press)

General Non-Fiction:
Aphrodite’s Island by Anne Salmond (Viking, Penguin Group (NZ))
Beyond the Battlefield: New Zealand and its Allies, 1939-1945 by Gerald Hensley (Viking, Penguin Group (NZ))
Cone Ten Down: Studio pottery in New Zealand, 1945-1980 by Moyra Elliott and Damian Skinner (David Bateman Ltd)
Encircled Lands: Te Urewera, 1820-1921 by Judith Binney (Bridget Williams Books)
The Invention of New Zealand Art & National Identity, 1930-1970 by Francis Pound (Auckland University Press)


Illustrated Non-Fiction:
Art at Te Papa edited by William McAloon (Te Papa Press)
Go Fish: Recipes and stories from the New Zealand Coast by Al Brown (Random House NZ)
Māori Architecture: From fale to wharenui and beyond by Deidre Brown (Raupo, Penguin Group (NZ))
Marti Friedlander by Leonard Bell (Auckland University Press)
Mrkusich: The Art of Transformation by Alan Wright and Edward Hanfling (Auckland University Press)

 The Category Award winners and the overall New Zealand Post Book of the Year winner will be announced at a gala dinner held in Auckland on 27 August 2010.
With fewer categories, the Awards’ prize pool has been substantially increased, with the overall New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award winner receiving $15,000. Winners of the four Category Awards will each receive $10,000 and the People’s Choice Award winner $5,000.

Also announced today are the three New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Best First Book Awards Winners.
The Best First Book Awards for Non-Fiction, Poetry, and Fiction were established by the New Zealand Society of Authors with the aim of encouraging new writers and their publishers. They are announced simultaneously with the New Zealand Post Book Awards category finalists for the first time this year.

Wellington writer, Anna Taylor who graduated with an MA in Creative Writing from Victoria University in 2006, wins the 2010 NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction for her book Relief (Victoria University Press).
Stratford summarised Taylor’s work as a powerful collection that has at least one memorable image or sentence on every page. ‘No pressure, but we expect a glittering career.’


The 2010 NZSA Jessie Mackay Best First Book Award for Poetry goes to Selina Tusitala Marsh for her collection Fast Talking PI (Auckland University Press). Dr Marsh is a poet and scholar of Samoan, Tuvaluan, Scottish and French descent who lives with her family on Waiheke Island.
 ‘The judging panel found Marsh’s collection exhilarating,’ says Stratford.
‘The poems are sensuous but strong, using lush imagery and clear rhythms and repetitions to power them forward.’

Pip Desmond, a Wellington freelance writer and former member of the Aroha Trust, a work cooperative for gang women in Wellington, wins the 2010 NZSA E.H. McCormick Best First Book Award for Non-Fiction for Trust: A True Story of Women & Gangs (Random House NZ).
The judging panel stated that Trust was an extraordinary work from someone with unparalleled and probably unrepeatable access to women in gangs.
‘A potent combination of oral history and memoir, it packs a powerful punch.’

Each NZSA Best First Book Awards category winner receives $2,500.


New Zealand Post Group’s sponsorship of the country’s national book awards is symbolic of their strong and active support of the country’s literature. As sponsor of the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards for 15 years, this new sponsorship highlights the company’s commitment to promoting literary excellence. Working closely with Booksellers NZ, New Zealand Post and other dedicated segments of the community actively encourage New Zealanders to read and enjoy books.
The New Zealand Post Book Awards 2010 are also sponsored by Creative New Zealand.  The Awards are managed by Booksellers NZ and supported by the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.


Footnote:
The Bookman has put an illustration of the book he regards as the likely winner alongside each of the four categories. I have to say though that the Illustrated non-fiction category is a wide open field and I will not be surprised by whichever shortlisted title wins that one. But if I was a betting man and the TAB ran a book on these awards I'd put $100 on As the Earth Turns Silver to win the fiction category. For me it was not only the best NZ novel in 2009 it was also one of the best I read from any quarter.

Experienced Judging Panel Leads New Chapter in New Zealand Post Book Awards

The judges selected for the inaugural New Zealand Post Book Awards bring with them a wealth of literary expertise as they set about choosing the country’s best books published in 2009.
This year sees an increase from three to five judges as part of a new, streamlined structure of the country’s premier book awards.

Judging panel convenor, Stephen Stratford, (pic left), author and editor, brings vast experience to the role. He was judge for the last Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards in 1993, convenor of the first Montana Book Awards in 1994, judge for the Montana New Zealand Book Awards in 1999 and the convenor in 2000.
He is joined by poet, short story writer and novelist, Elizabeth Smither; writer, educationalist and broadcaster, Charmaine Pountney; writer, historian and broadcaster, Paul Diamond; and nature writer, biographer and photographer, Neville Peat.

Booksellers NZ Chief Executive Officer, Lincoln Gould, is delighted with the calibre of judges appointed to mark this, a new chapter in the history of these Awards.
“Each judge was selected for the broad range of skills they bring to the judging process. Individually and collectively, the judging panel represents a wide range and depth of knowledge in different subject areas. They each have very diverse writing styles and reading preferences, which I am sure will result in very interesting discussions and critique of the books submitted.”

Stephen Stratford says the New Zealand Post Book Awards 2010 has a clear emphasis on excellence.
“Excellence in writing, of course, but also excellence in all the other areas that make a book. The judges are very conscious that a book is an object, not just a manuscript that has found its way between hard (or soft) covers. The text is the main element, in almost all cases, but when two books are neck-and-neck on literary grounds, it could well be the better-produced object that nudges ahead.
”The really difficult decision will be the overall Book of the Year Award, where a slim volume of poetry could be up against a heavyweight history, a challenging novel, or a beautiful illustrated book. I can’t think of another four judges I’d rather attempt it with.”

As part of the Awards restructure, there will be four judging categories this year, reduced from a previous list of eight. The four categories are; Poetry, Fiction, Illustrated Non-fiction and General Non-fiction. There will be 16 finalist books in total (three finalists in the Fiction and Poetry categories and five in the Illustrated Non-Fiction and General Non-Fiction categories).
With fewer categories, the prize pool has been substantially increased, with the overall New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award winner receiving $15,000.
Winners of the four Category Awards will each receive $10,000, the Māori Language Award $10,000, Readers’ Choice Award $5,000, and the winners of the three New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Best First Book Awards $2,500 each.

“The judges agree that the move to four rather than eight categories was helpful – it brings greater clarity and focus,” says Stratford.
The judges will read more than 160 submitted books published in 2009 before selecting the finalists and, ultimately the winners.

The New Zealand Post Book Awards 2010 finalists will be announced on Tuesday 22 June 2010. On that day, winners of the Māori Language Award and of the three NZSA Best First Book Awards for Fiction, Poetry and Non-fiction will also be announced.

The winners will be announced at a gala dinner held in Auckland on 27 August 2010.
New Zealand Post Group’s sponsorship of the New Zealand Book Awards is symbolic of their strong and active support of the country’s literature. As sponsor of the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards for 15 years, this new sponsorship highlights the company’s commitment to promoting literary excellence. Working closely with Booksellers NZ, New Zealand Post and other dedicated segments of the community actively encourage New Zealanders to read and enjoy books.

The New Zealand Post Book Awards 2010 are also sponsored by Creative New Zealand. The Awards are managed by Booksellers NZ and supported by the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.

KEY DATES
· 22 June 2010 New Zealand Post Book Awards finalists announced
· 22 June 2010 Māori Language Award winner announced
· 22 June 2010 NZSA Best First Book Awards for Fiction, Poetry, Non-fiction announced
· 22 June 2010 Readers’ Choice Award voting opens
· 30 July 2010 National Poetry Day
· 13 August 2010 Readers’ Choice Award voting closes, 5pm.
· 27 August 2010 New Zealand Post Book Awards winners announced.

LATEST : NZ POST BOOK AWARDS SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED

This year’s New Zealand Post Book Awards finalists provide a feast of Kiwi experience, reflecting a growing and confident awareness of our unique place in the world, says Judging panel convenor and Te Reo Māori Advisor for the New Zealand Post Book Awards, Paul Diamond.

‘All the finalists enable us to see our world differently.  They tell great stories with pride, brightening our lives in this time of dark days.’

The four finalist categories announced in the New Zealand Post Book Awards today are: Fiction, Poetry, General Non-fiction and Illustrated Non-fiction.

The New Zealand Post Book Awards are the highlight of the literary calendar, eagerly awaited by writers, publishers, booksellers and the media, and recognised by the New Zealand public as the gold standard; honouring the cream of this country’s literary talent.

Diamond, (photo left by Bruce Foster),a past judge of the New Zealand Post Book Awards, broadcaster, writer and historian, said that all four categories were strong this year. 

‘The Māori World was also significant in the work of many finalists, reflecting the reality of life in 21st century New Zealand.’

The judges commented on the large number of books entered in the Poetry category – nearly as many as for Fiction – illustrating the strength of poetry-writing and publishing in New Zealand. However, Diamond said, ‘entries in General Non-fiction were significantly down on the previous year, perhaps reflecting tougher times in the New Zealand publishing industry’.

Joining Diamond on the Awards’ judging panel are writer, educationalist and broadcaster, Charmaine Pountney; former mayor, ad man, environmentalist and lobbyist, Bob Harvey QSO; award-winning author and broadcaster, Emily Perkins; and acclaimed poet and editor, Michael Harlow.

The full list of finalists in the 2011 New Zealand Post Book Awards by category are:

FICTION:

The Hut Builder by Laurence Fearnley (Penguin Group NZ)

The Night Book by Charlotte Grimshaw (Vintage, Random House NZ)

Their Faces Were Shining by Tim Wilson (Victoria University Press)

POETRY:

The Mirror of Simple Annihilated Souls by Kate Camp (Victoria University Press)

The Radio Room by Cilla McQueen (Otago University Press)

Mauri Ola: Contemporary Polynesian Poems in English – Whetu Moana II by Albert Wendt, Reina Whaitiri and Robert Sullivan (Auckland University Press)

GENERAL NON-FICTION:

99 Ways into New Zealand Poetry by Paula Green and Harry Ricketts (Vintage, Random House NZ)

Blue Smoke: The Lost Dawn of NZ Popular Music 1918-1964 by Chris Bourke (Auckland University Press)

Mune: An Autobiography by Ian Mune (Craig Potton Publishing)

No Fretful Sleeper: A Life of Bill Pearson by Paul Millar (Auckland University Press)

The Tasman: Biography of an Ocean by Neville Peat (Penguin Group NZ)

ILLUSTRATED NON-FICTION:

Brian Brake: Lens on the World by Athol McCredie (Te Papa Press)

Pounamu by Russell Beck, Maika Mason and Andris Apse (Viking, Penguin Group NZ)

Still Life: Inside the Antarctic Huts of Scott and Shackleton by Nigel Watson and Jane Ussher (Murdoch Books)

The Dress Circle by Douglas Lloyd Jenkins, Claire Regnault and Lucy Hammonds (Godwit, Random House NZ)

The Passing World: The Passage of Life: John Hovell and the Art of Kowhaiwhai by Dr. Damian Skinner (Rim Books)

The Category Award winners and the overall New Zealand Post Book of the Year winner will be announced at an awards ceremony to be held in Wellington on 27 July 2011.

With fewer categories than in previous years, the Awards’ prize pool has been substantially increased, with the overall New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award winner receiving $15,000.

Winners of the four Category Awards will each receive $10,000 and the People’s Choice Award winner $5,000. The People’s Choice Award is hotly contested each year and gives New Zealanders a unique opportunity to vote for their favourite book.

Also announced today are the three New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Best First Book Awards Winners

The Best First Book Awards for Non-Fiction, Poetry, and Fiction were established by the New Zealand Society of Authors with the aim of encouraging new writers and their publishers. Again this year, they are announced simultaneously with the New Zealand Post Book Awards category finalists.

Wellington writer, Pip Adam wins the 2011 NZSA Hubert Church Best First Book Award for Fiction with her short story collection, Everything We Hoped for (Victoria University Press).

Diamond summarised Adam’s work as a powerful debut collection, taking the reader into often harrowing places where they are compelled to stay on account of the author’s lucid, controlled story-telling.

'The judges believe this new writer has a striking artistic vision, and the chops to carry off her unsentimental stories with humour and humanity.'

The 2011 NZSA Jessie Mackay Best First Book Award for Poetry goes to Kapiti Coast writer, former psychologist and counsellor, Lynn Jenner, for her collection, Dear Sweet Harry (Auckland University Press).

Diamond said that the judging panel found Jenner’s work to be a fascinating and quite original miscellany of lyric poems, short prose texts, historical-documentary material, and autobiographical personae – all gathered together around the historical figure of 'Dear Sweet Harry' Houdini, the exemplary escape artist and masterful illusionist.

Dunedin-based, Māori academic, Dr. Poia Rewi, wins the 2011 NZSA E.H. McCormick Best First Book Award for Non-Fiction for Whaikorero: The World of Māori  Oratory (Auckland University Press).

The judges felt that Rewi’s book ‘managed the difficult feat of being both a valuable record and manual of Māori oratory for practitioners, and an accessible overview for anyone interested in this ubiquitous cultural practice.’

Each NZSA Best First Book Awards category winner receives $2,500.

New Zealand Post Group’s sponsorship of the country’s national book awards is symbolic of their strong and active support of the country’s literature. As sponsor of the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards for 15 years, their sponsorship of these Awards highlights the company’s commitment to promoting literary excellence. 


Footnote:
Here is author/poet/bookseller/blogger Mary McCallum's take on the Awards.

New Zealand Post Book Awards 2012 Finalists Announced

A diverse and exciting range of books have today been announced as finalists for the 2012 New Zealand Post Book Awards.

The finalists – selected from 160 entries - include a biography of Captain William Bligh (the target of naval history’s most famous mutiny), explorations of New Zealand native trees, pottery and cloaks, and a detailed re-examination of one of New Zealand’s most shocking murders – the Parker and Hulme case.

That crime previously inspired one of New Zealand’s best regarded films – “Heavenly Creatures” – a movie which features in another of this year’s New Zealand Post Book Awards finalists, a history of New Zealand film.

The judges unanimously found five finalists in the both general and illustrated non-fiction categories.

“The non-fiction categories feature writers who are working at the peak of their craft, finding new, original ways in which to portray New Zealand in print,” said the convenor of the New Zealand Post Book Awards judging panel, Chris Bourke.

However, due to the strength of this year’s entries, the judges found it very difficult to limit themselves to just the three finalists required in the fiction and poetry categories.

“Having all the categories restored to five finalists would more accurately represent the quality and breadth of New Zealand’s writing,” said Mr Bourke.

“The same diversity is present in the fiction and poetry - and should be reflected in the shortlists.”

The Chair of the Book Awards Governance Group, Sam Elworthy said he appreciated the candour of the judging panel.

“We are committed to ensuring writers are best served with these awards and the reduction in fiction and poetry finalists was made after extensive consultation with the literary community. None-the-less, getting the right format for the country’s premier book awards is all-important. It is a challenge the Governance Group accept,” says Mr Elworthy.

He further commented that the Awards were under review and that exciting changes could be anticipated next year.

The 2012 judging panel comprises multi-award winning poet, writer, critic and journalist David Eggleton, writer, publisher, book designer and typesetter Mary Egan, poet, reviewer, writer and anthologist Paula Green, writer and Maori and Pacific literature specialist Reina Whaitiri (Kai Tahu) together with Mr Bourke, a journalist, producer and writer who won last year’s New Zealand Post Book of the Year prize.

The full list of 2012 New Zealand Post Book Awards finalists by category are:

Fiction:

From Under the Overcoat by Sue Orr (Vintage, Random House NZ)

Rangatira by Paula Morris (Penguin Group, NZ)

The Trouble With Fire by Fiona Kidman (Vintage, Random House NZ)

Poetry:

The leaf-ride by Dinah Hawken (Victoria University Press)

Shift by Rhian Gallagher (Auckland University Press)

Thicket by Anna Jackson (Auckland University Press)

General Non-fiction category:

Bligh: William Bligh in the South Seas by Anne Salmond (Viking, Penguin Group, NZ)

The Broken Book by Fiona Farrell (Auckland University Press)

The Hungry Heart: Journeys with William Colenso by Peter Wells (Vintage, Random House NZ)

So Brilliantly Clever: Parker, Hulme and the Murder that Shocked the World by Peter Graham (Awa Press)

Tupaia: The Remarkable Story of Captain Cook’s Polynesian Navigator by Joan Druett (Random House NZ)

Illustrated Non-fiction:

A Micronaut in the Wide World: The Imaginative Life and Times of Graham Percy by Gregory O’Brien (Auckland University Press)

New Zealand Film - An Illustrated History by Diane Pivac with Frank Stark and Lawrence McDonald (Te Papa Press)

New Zealand’s Native Trees by John Dawson & Rob Lucas (Craig Potton Publishing)

Playing with Fire: Auckland Studio Potters Society Turns 50 by Peter Lange and Stuart Newby (Auckland Studio Potters Society– in conjunction with the National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries Centre for New Zealand Art Research and Discovery (CNZARD))

Whatu Kākahu/Māori Cloaks by Awhina Tamarapa (Te Papa Press)

People’s Choice Award
Voting opens today for the nation’s favourite book. Nominations can be made from this year’s finalist books on-line at www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz. The 2012 finalist book with the most votes will be honoured with the much-coveted People’s Choice Award.

In addition to individual category winners, and a People’s Choice Award, there will be a Māori Language Award winner and the overall New Zealand Post Book of the Year winner announced at a gala dinner in Auckland on 1 August 2012.

The overall New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award winner will receive $15,000. Winners of the four Category Awards will each receive $10,000. The Māori Language Award winner will receive $10,000 and the People’s Choice Award winner $5,000.

New Zealand Post’s sponsorship of the national book awards reflects their long-standing support for literacy and education.   They maintain that focus throughout the year with initiatives such as ReadWriteGrow.co.nz, creative writing contests for school students, and the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards which they have sponsored for the past 16 years.  That commitment to promoting literacy, excellence in writing and the joy of reading sees New Zealand Post play a key role in supporting other champions of literature, such as Booksellers NZ, to promote and reward local literary talent.

The New Zealand Post Book Awards 2012 are also funded by Creative New Zealand. The Awards are managed by Book Awards Governance Group, administered by Booksellers NZ and supported by the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.

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.

AUP are mightily pleased with themselves !

Auckland University Press’s Record in NZ National Book Awards Continues

This is the fourth year that Auckland University Press, a small publisher of scholarly non-fiction and poetry for the general market, has appeared at the top of the list in New Zealand’s national book awards.

Auckland University Press has three finalist books and two best first book winners in the 2011 New Zealand Post Book Awards (NZPBA) lists announced today. That puts AUP equal with much larger publishers Penguin and Random House on the NZPBA shortlist and top of the NZ Society of Authors (NZSA) Best First Book winners list, having taken out two of the three categories.

This is the fourth consecutive year since 2008 that an Auckland University Press book has won the NZSA award for Best First Book of Poetry.

NZSA Best First Book Award Winners

 Dunedin academic Poia Rewi (Tuhoe, Ngati Manawa, Te Arawa, Ngati Whare, Ngati Tuwharetoa) has won the NZSA E H McCormick Award for the Best First Book of Non-Fiction for his book Whaikorero: The World of Maori Oratory.

“Poia Rewi is set to become one of this country’s leading Maori scholars and we feel very lucky to have worked with Poia on his first book, a work of deep insight into Maori language, history and culture,” said AUP Director Sam Elworthy.

The NZPBA judges found Rewi’s book “managed the difficult feat of being both a valuable record and manual of Maori oratory for practitioners, and an accessible overview for anyone interested in this ubiquitous cultural practice.”

Wellington poet Lynn Jenner has won the NZSA Jessie Mackay Award for Best First Book of Poetry for her Dear Sweet Harry, the manuscript of which also won the Adam Prize in Creative Writing.

“Lynn Jenner’s first collection Dear Sweet Harry grabbed us by the throat on first reading and never let go,” said AUP’s poetry editor Anna Hodge.

“Her poems and pieces are as impressive and death-defying and gratifying as the feats of her hero Houdini and his co-protagonists. And – for the fourth year in a row – AUP’s commitment to publishing new poets has been rewarded.

“Thanks to the New Zealand Society of Authors for this continuing tribute to the memory of Jessie Mackay.”

The judging panel described Lynn Jenner’s collection as a “fascinating and quite original miscellany of lyric poems, short prose texts, historical-documentary material, and autobiographical personae – all gathered together around the historical figure of 'Dear Sweet Harry' Houdini, the exemplary escape artist and masterful illusionist.”

NZ Post Book Awards Finalists

The Auckland University Press finalists in the New Zealand Post Book Awards are spread across two of the four of the award categories:

1. Poetry – Mauri Ola: Contemporary Polynesian Poems in English, Whetu Moana II edited by Albert Wendt, Reina Whaitiri and Robert Sullivan; and

2. General Non-Fiction – Blue Smoke: The Lost Dawn of New Zealand Popular Music 1918–1964 by Chris Bourke and No Fretful Sleeper: A Life of Bill Pearson by Paul Millar.

“The team at Auckland University Press are really thrilled to lead the field once more in the 2011 New Zealand Post Book Awards,” Sam Elworthy said.

“Each of our finalists was a big, ambitious book for the Press to take on: the many voices from across the Pacific gathered together in Mauri Ola; a big, revealing biography of a private and public man in No Fretful Sleeper; a decade of research and a photographic goldmine coming together in Blue Smoke.

“Working with great authors on such big ideas is what we like to do best at Auckland University Press and we congratulate our authors on their achievement.”

The winners of the NZ Post Book Awards will be announced at an awards ceremony in Wellington on Wednesday 27 July 2011. The awards for Best First Books of Poetry, Fiction and Non-Fiction will be also be presented at that event.

There will be a NZ Post Book Awards “Meet the Winners” lunchtime event the following day, Thursday 28 July, at Te Papa Tongarewa / The Museum of New Zealand.

High-profile, award-winning judges selected for prestigious New Zealand Post Book Awards 2011

The five members of this year’s judging panel, charged with identifying the country’s best books published in 2010, bring with them wide-ranging talents and celebrated literary nous.

Judging panel convenor and Te Reo Māori Advisor, Paul Diamond, ( pic right -Bruce Foster), a past judge of the New Zealand Post Book Awards, is a broadcaster, writer and historian. He is joined by writer, educationalist and broadcaster, Charmaine Pountney; former mayor, ad man, environmentalist and lobbyist, Bob Harvey QSO; award-winning author and broadcaster, Emily Perkins; and acclaimed poet and editor, Michael Harlow.

Booksellers NZ Chief Executive Officer, Lincoln Gould, is thrilled with the eclectic and wide-ranging talents of the judges appointed to select the best of New Zealand fiction, poetry and non-fiction published in 2010.

“The judges were selected by the Awards Management Committee, for the rich scope and diversity of their skills, which they will bring to bear on the judging process. Their differing work and life experiences encapsulate knowledge in a wide variety of subject areas, and their collective decades of reading covers off some extraordinary literary terrain. I expect their differing perspectives will lead to some robust debate as they make their selections.”

Convenor Paul Diamond says the New Zealand Post Book Awards promote excellence in, and provide recognition for, the best books published annually in New Zealand. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate the stunning books published in this country and all the elements that make a book—text of course, but also things like design and illustrations.

“Being part of the judging team for last year’s awards was a wonderful experience – I learned a lot from my fellow judges. It’s an honour to be convening this year’s panel, and I’m looking forward to working with and learning from another stellar team.”

The four categories in the New Zealand Post Book Awards are: Poetry, Fiction, Illustrated Non-fiction and General Non-fiction. There will be 16 finalist books in total (three finalists in the Fiction and Poetry categories and five in the Illustrated Non-fiction and General Non-fiction categories).

The overall New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award winner will receive $15,000. Winners of the four Category Awards will each receive $10,000; the Māori Language Award $10,000; the People’s Choice Award $5,000; and the winners of the three New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Best First Book Awards will receive $2,500.

The judges will read more than 150 submitted books published in 2010 before selecting the finalists and ultimately, the winners.

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

The winners will be announced at an Awards Ceremony to be held in Wellington on Wednesday 27 July 2011.

New Zealand Post Group’s sponsorship of the New Zealand Book Awards is symbolic of their strong and active support of the country’s literature. It forms part of a wider portfolio of partnerships aimed at supporting New Zealanders, and the growth of New Zealand, by lifting levels of literacy and education. As sponsor of the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards for 15 years, their sponsorship highlights the company’s commitment to promoting literary excellence. Working closely with Booksellers NZ, New Zealand Post and other dedicated segments of the community, their mandate is to actively encourage New Zealanders to read and enjoy books.

The New Zealand Post Book Awards 2011 are also funded by Creative New Zealand. The Awards are managed by Booksellers NZ and supported by the New Zealand Society of Authors and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd.

CHILDREN'S CHOICE - NZ POST BOOK AWARDS

Thousands of kids are voting now for their favourite New Zealand
children's book!

School-age kids from schools and communities around the country are
voting now for their favourite New Zealand children's book in the
celebrated Children's Choice Award organised in conjunction with the New
Zealand Post Book Awards for Children & Young Adults. Tens of thousands
of voting cards have been distributed to schools, libraries, bookshops
and selected PostShops nationwide and the votes are beginning to come
in.

Children are encouraged to read and make their selection from the twenty
finalist books in this year's awards. They will be weighing up some of
this country's best contemporary writers along with some new-comers to
the scene of children's book writing. Will last year's winners of the
Children's Choice Award, writer Jennifer Beck and illustrator Lindy
Fisher - finalists again this year with their picture book, A Present
from the Past - take the votes again? Or will the votes go to debut
writer, Sharon Holt for her book, It's True! You Can Make Your Own
Jokes? Whoever the winner might be, we won't know until after the
voting closes at 5pm on Tuesday 1 May 2007. The full list of finalists
is available online at www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz and voting is also
available online at the same website.

The Children's Choice Award was introduced in 1997 as a way of giving
school-aged children nationwide the opportunity to have a say in this
country's most prestigious children's book awards. Over the eleven
years since its inception, the number of votes placed has grown to more
than 30,000. Past winners have included Gaelyn Gordon, Bob Kerr and
much-loved writer and illustrator, Lynley Dodd. This award is now
considered by children's authors to be one of the highest accolades they
can receive in New Zealand for their writing.

The winner of the Children's Choice Award will be announced at the New
Zealand Post Book Awards ceremony at Parliament on Wednesday 16 May
2007. They will receive $1000, but they're not the only one to benefit.
Once the votes are tallied, one voting card or online vote is randomly
pulled 'from the hat'. The child whose name appears on this vote will
instantly win $1000 worth of Booksellers Tokens for their school
library.

While the votes are being counted many of the New Zealand Post Book
Award finalists take to the road from Monday 7 May, participating in a
nationwide festival of children's books and literature. They will be
visiting schools and libraries around the country in the lead up to the
awards ceremony on Wednesday 16 May. A full schedule of events will be
available on www.nzpostbookawards.co.nz from mid April.

New Zealand Post has been a steadfast sponsor of the New Zealand Post
Book Awards for Children and Young Adults since 1997. Its partnership
has seen the awards flourish, growing from strength to strength over the
last decade. New Zealand Post's support of these awards reflects their
deep commitment to promoting literacy and literature throughout the
country. Working closely with Booksellers New Zealand, New Zealand Post
and other dedicated segments of the community actively encourage New
Zealand children to read and enjoy books. For those with limited access
to new works, New Zealand Post also purchases and distributes books by
the New Zealand Post Book Awards finalists by supporting the Books in
Homes programme each year.

The New Zealand Post Book Awards are also supported by Creative New
Zealand and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd and are administered by Booksellers New
Zealand.

AWRF - The Politics of Prizes

I am repeating this post from last Sunday because it drew forth 14 responses, an unusually high number. Please have a read of the original story and then all the comments. Anyone wish to add anything further about any aspect of book awards, particularly the NZ awards?

Under the lively and agreeable chairmanship of AUP publisher Sam Elworthy we experienced a vigorous discussion on the subject a panel comprising Stella Rimington, 2011 Chair of Man Booker Prize judging panel, best-selling and non-book award winning NZ author Jenny Patrick and journalist, editor and blogger Stephen Stratford.

Stella Rimington (left - photo Gil Hanly) was especially interesting because of her Man Booker experience where five judges elected from 138 novels published in the UK first a long list of 13 titles and then a shortlist of five titles. There was considerable controversy at the time because the titles on both lists were regarded as being "too popular".
One of the difficulties with being a Man Booker  judge is that no criteria is stated for judging so Stella Rimington and her panel elected to select titles that would appeal to the average intelligent reader. I could have listened to her talking alone about this for the whole hour.

Jenny Patrick, (right), who was awarded the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship but has never been shortlisted for awardds for any of her enormously popular historical novels talked about the secret disappointment of this. She also expressed the widely held view that a shortlist of three is too few for the fiction category compared to the five on the shortlist of the non-fiction categories.

Stephen Stratford whom the Chair introduced as the person who has judged more NZ book awards than anyone else talked about authors and publishers getting cross with judges if their books were not shortlisted. It was rather alarming to hear Stratford suggest on three occasions that he regarded book awards as largely a waste of time in terms of increasing book sales.To back this up he quoted his local bookseller in his country town and the Paper Plus chain.