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A pair of acclaimed New Zealand authors have had their books disqualified from consideration for the country's esteemed literature award because of the use of artificial intelligence in creating their book covers.

Exclusion Details

The author's short story collection "Obligate Carnivore" and the writer's short novel collection "Angel Train" were entered for the 2026 Ockham book awards and its NZ$65,000 novel award in the tenth month, but were ruled out the following thirty days due to recently introduced guidelines concerning AI usage.

The publishing house of the two books, Quentin Wilson, explained that the awards organizers amended the guidelines in August, by which point the covers for every entered book would have already been finalized.

“It was, therefore, far too late for any publisher to have taken this clause into account in their design briefs,” the publisher said.

Writers' Reactions

Johnson expressed sympathy for the prize organizers, stating she shares deep concerns about artificial intelligence in artistic fields, but was let down by the decision.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sad about it,” she commented. “It’s my 22nd book, and it is my fourth collection of short stories. These stories … were written over a sort of 20 year period, so for me, it’s quite an important book.”

She further stated that authors typically have minimal involvement in cover artwork and was did not know artificial intelligence had been employed for her book cover, which features a cat with human-like dentition.

“I believed it was an actual cat photo with superimposed teeth, but that was not the case,” the author explained, noting that unlike younger generations, she finds it difficult to recognize AI-generated graphics.

The writer worried that readers might assume she employed AI to compose her book, which she emphatically denied.

“Rather than discussing my book's themes and inspirations, we're focused on this AI issue, which I despise.”

In a comment, Smither said that the artists spent hours crafting her book's cover, which includes a steam train and an angel “half-obscured in the smoke”, inspired by painter the artist's figures.

“My primary concern is for the designers: their careful, detailed work … is not being respected,” Smither stated.

Award Trust's Position

Nicola Legat, head of the book awards trust that oversees the Ockham awards, affirmed the organization maintains a “firm stance on the application of AI in publications.”

“We do not make such a decision lightly, one that bars the newest works by two of New Zealand's most respected authors from the 2026 prize,” Legat stated.

“However, the criteria apply to all entrants, regardless of their mana [status], and must be consistently applied to all.”

The decision to revise the AI criteria was driven by a aim to support the creative and intellectual property interests of the nation's authors and illustrators, she explained.

“As AI evolves, there may well be a need for the trust to revisit and develop the criteria further.”

Industry Reflections

Wilson noted that publishers and authors often employ tools like Grammarly and image editors, which incorporate artificial intelligence, and this incident highlighted the pressing requirement for carefully crafted policies.

“As an industry, we must work together to ensure that this situation does not happen again.”

Both Elizabeth Smither and Stephanie Johnson have previously served as judges for categories of the prizes, and both emphasized that cover designs receive minimal attention during evaluation.

“The text itself and its detailed analysis were all that mattered,” Smither said.

The application of AI in creative sectors has faced growing scrutiny as the tech advances, with some organizations creating methods to counter its impact.