As the positive impact of the mid-May announcement of winners at the 2026 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards continues to be felt nationwide, the awards’ organisers are now on the search for judges for the 2027 awards.
The New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa has opened the call for expressions of interest in being one of 12 judges of the 2027 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.
The Trust is looking for judges who have a deep appreciation and knowledge of New Zealand literature. Applications are welcome from the literature community and from members of the public with relevant experience. Suitable candidates may be booksellers, librarians, reviewers, critics, writers, former publishers, editors, festival organisers, teachers, academics and curators. Expressions of interest are particularly welcomed from Māori applicants.
The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards offer four principal prizes each year: the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction; the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry; the BookHub Award for Illustrated Non-Fiction; and the General Non-Fiction Award. There are also four awards for first-time authors (the Mātātuhi Foundation Best First Book awards) and, at the discretion of a specially appointed judge, Te Mūrau o te Tuhi, a Māori Language Award.
The judging of each of the four principal categories is undertaken by a panel of three judges with the relevant expertise and experience in that subject. One of the three will be appointed as convenor. The judges begin their reading in early-September 2026.
Potential judges may express interest directly or be nominated by members of the literature community and book industry. A panel from the New Zealand Book Awards Trust, which comprises industry stakeholder representatives, is responsible for final selection and recruitment. Geographic, cultural and community representation, as well as relevant qualifications and experience, will all be considered in the final make-up of the panels.
Expressions of interest forms and background information on the judging process and judges’ responsibilities can be downloaded from the Ockham NZ Book Awards website, or supplied on request by emailing manager@nzbookawards.org.nz.
Applications must be submitted by 5pm on Friday 3 July, and should include a brief resumé demonstrating the applicant’s experience relevant to the judging role.
The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are supported by Ockham Residential, Creative New Zealand, the late Jann Medlicott and the Acorn Foundation, Mary and Peter Biggs CNZM, BookHub presented by Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand, The Mātātuhi Foundation and the Auckland Writers Festival.
ENDS
Link to more information on Ockham NZ Book Awards website:
Editor’s Notes:
The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards are the country’s premier literary honours for books written by New Zealanders. First established in 1968 as the Wattie Book Awards (later the Goodman Fielder Wattie Book Awards), they have also been known as the Montana New Zealand Book Awards and the New Zealand Post Book Awards. The awards are governed by the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa (a registered charity). Current members of the Trust are Nicola Legat, Richard Pamatatau, Elizabeth Jones, Garth Biggs, Renée Rowland, Suzy Maddox, Kim Tairi and Elena de Roo. The Trust also governs the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and National Poetry Day.
Released on behalf of the New Zealand Book Awards Trust Te Ohu Tiaki i Te Rau Hiringa
