Press Release – Shortlist celebrates the most beautifully designed books in Aotearoa – By Publishers Association of New Zealand
The most beautifully designed books in Aotearoa are recognised with the announcement of the finalists for the 2026 PANZ Book Design Awards.
The Publishers Association of New Zealand Te Rau o Tākupu (PANZ) established the awards to promote excellence in, and provide recognition for, the best book design in Aotearoa New Zealand.
“The standard of entries this year was incredibly high and some difficult decisions had to be made to reach a shortlist,” said Convening Judge Erica Harrison.
There were more than 130 entries across all categories and the judges were particularly pleased to see a significant increase in numbers of Emerging Designer entries, indicating the wealth of developing talent in the industry.
Erica, who is a designer, illustrator and co-founder of Messy Press, was joined by Carly Yates of Auckland based design Studio Seven, Dr George Hajian a designer, artist, and Senior Lecturer at Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau, Auckland University of Technology and Courtney Smith, co-owner Lamplight Books, an independent bookstore that champions beautiful books.
The judges found the job of selecting the shortlist for the Penguin Random House New Zealand Award for Best Illustrated Book particularly tricky, as the design, typography, and production value of the books in this category were exceptional.
“We spent a lot of time on this category because there were so many beautifully-crafted books. They had to be really special to make it onto the shortlist.”
They also noted that this year, simple design is doing the heavy lifting as many of the shortlisted books are smaller formats and don’t have the same high specs often seen amongst finalists.
The trend towards more neutral tones, observed last year, has continued with the colour palette leaning more towards sombre, earthy shades contrasted with pops of red and moody blues. The judges were pleased to see a good spread of Māori and Pasifika titles represented this year and observed strong design principles rooted in te ao Māori and Pasifika-centric values.
The judges must now select the winners of the nine categories and choose the recipient of the main prize, the Gerard Reid Award for Best Book sponsored by NielsenIQ BookData. The winners will be announced at a special ceremony in Auckland on Thursday 24 September. At the event attendees will also be able to vote for the People’s Choice Award, which this year will be renamed the Keely O’Shannessy People’s Choice Award, a fitting tribute to a talented book designer and friend of many in book publishing who passed away in June of this year.
The industry’s design talent will assemble the next day for the PANZ Book Design Workshop which provides the opportunity to dissect the awards, enjoy panel sessions led by leading book designers and network with peers.
Publishers Association of New Zealand
