COVID-19 disruption has forced many aspects of life online, but when it comes to books the appeal of a beautifully designed, tangible object has not waned.  Luckily, New Zealanders are spoilt for choice with a stunning line up of finalists just announced for the 2020 PANZ Book Design Awards.

A recent report from the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ) found physical books make up 93% of the domestic market. So the Association was not surprised by the record number of entries for this year’s awards, with the high quality of titles submitted speaking to both a buoyant domestic market and commitment to local storytelling.

“It’s a clear sign that the New Zealand public continues to value beautiful, world-class books. Adding to the buzz, is the number of submissions to the Emerging Designer category, confirming there is plenty of fresh talent to invigorate the industry in the future,” says Mel Winder, PANZ Councillor for Awards.

In mid-July, four judges with interests spanning book design to bookselling spent a day together in Auckland pouring over the 2020 entries.

“It’s such a pleasure spending a whole day holding, smelling, touching and looking at books and enjoying every fine detail — from typography to endpapers,” says convening judge Anna Brown.

“The discussion was robust, but you would be surprised how easy it was to agree on a shortlist despite our different interests and ‘design’ particularities.”

The judges particularly enjoyed exploring a new category introduced for this year’s awards. The Allen & Unwin Award for Best Commercial Book for Adults is designed to acknowledge the innovative work being done in this area of the market and extend the discussion around book design.

Across all categories, the judges were thrilled at the diversity of design and array of sizes, formats and bindings chosen to enhance the content.  Now they face the hard task of narrowing down the winners and selecting the Gerard Reid Award for Best Book sponsored by Nielsen Book, which will be announced at a special ceremony on Thursday 22 October.

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.

The PANZ Book Design Awards were established by the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ) to promote excellence in, and provide recognition for, the best book design in New Zealand.

The full list of 2020 PANZ Book Design Awards Finalists are:

PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE NEW ZEALAND AWARD FOR BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK:

Crafting Aotearoa edited by Karl Chitham, Kolokesa Māhina-Tuai and Damian Skinner (Te Papa Press), Alan
Deare, Area Design
Eileen Mayo: Nature, Art and Poetry by Peter Vangioni and Jillian Cassidy (Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o
Waiwhetū), Peter Bray, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū
One Year Drawn by Pete Bossley (Point Publishing Limited), Alan Deare, Area Design
Promises Promises: 80 years of wooing New Zealand voters by Claire Robinson (Massey University Press),
Cover: Gideon Keith. Interior: Gideon Keith and Carly Johnson, Strategy Creative
Protest Tautohetohe by Stephanie Gibson, Matariki Williams and Puawai Cairns (Te Papa Press), Gideon
Keith, Strategy Creative
We Are Here: An atlas of Aotearoa by Chris McDowall and Tim Denee (Massey University Press), Tim Denee

UPSTART PRESS AWARD FOR BEST NON-ILLUSTRATED BOOK:

Finding Frances Hodgkins by Mary Kisler (Massey University Press), Kate Barraclough and Megan van
Staden
Hell Fire Poetry Anthology 2017–18 edited by Andy Coyle (White Wolf Black Rabbit in association with Ilam
Press), Aaron Beehre
Somewhere – Women’s Stories of Migration edited by Lorna Jane Harvey (Beatnik), Sally Greer, Beatnik
The Spinoff Book edited by Toby Manhire, illustrations by Toby Morris (Penguin Random House NZ), Cover:
Toby Morris. Interior: Katrina Duncan and Simon Chesterman

ALLEN & UNWIN AWARD FOR BEST COMMERCIAL BOOK FOR ADULTS:

The Book of Knowing by Gwendoline Smith (Allen & Unwin New Zealand), Megan van Staden
The Brilliance of Birds by Skye Wishart and Edin Whitehead (Penguin Random House NZ), Cat Taylor and
Rachel Clark
Garage Project: The Art of Beer by Garage Project (Penguin Random House NZ), Cover: Tim Gibson.
Interior: Tim Gibson and Katrina Duncan
Little Books of Art (series 2) edited by Sarah Pepperle (Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū), Aaron
Beehre
The New Zealand Wars / Nga Pakanga o Aotearoa by Vincent O’Malley (Bridget Williams Books), Cover: Neil
Pardington. Interior: Neil Pardington and Tina Delceg Neil Pardington Design

SCHOLASTIC NEW ZEALAND AWARD FOR BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK:

The Gobbledegook Book by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Giselle Clarkson (Gecko Press), Vida Kelly, Vida and
Luke Kelly Design
Māui’s Taonga Tales edited by David Brechin-Smith (Te Papa Press), Jodi Wicksteed, Bolster Design
Mophead written and illustrated by Selina Tusitala Marsh (Auckland University Press), Vida Kelly, Vida and
Luke Kelly Design
Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi by Ross Calman, Mark Derby, and Toby Morris (Lift Education),
Simon Waterfield and Toby Morris
What Can I Do When I Grow Up? by Alain de Botton (The School of Life Press), Cover: Studio Katie Kerr and
Tyla Mason. Interior: Studio Katie Kerr
Wildlife of Aotearoa written and illustrated by Gavin Bishop, Vida and Luke Kelly

EDIFY AWARD FOR BEST EDUCATIONAL BOOK OR SERIES – PRIMARY:

New Zealand Nature Heroes by Gillian Candler (Potton & Burton), Floor van Lierop, This is Them
Ngāti Manawa Taniwha Stories, Big Books for Shared Reading by Lianne Bird (Huia Publishers, Pem Bird
and Lianne Bird), Christine Ling, Huia Publishers
Te Kura i Monoa (Māori edition) | The Treasured Plume (English edition) by Brian Morris (Huia Publishers),
Scott and Leonie Pearson, Visual Evolution
Toitoi: A Journal for Young Writers and Artists, Issues 16-19 and the Latin America and Southeast Asia Special
Issues, with Teacher Support Materials edited by Charlotte Gibbs (Toitoi Media), Kelvin Soh and Sam
Wieck of DDMMYY with Grace McFarlane and Vicki Birks, Toitoi Media Ltd

EDIFY AWARD FOR BEST EDUCATIONAL BOOK OR SERIES – SECONDARY / TERTIARY:

Dragonflies and Damselflies of New Zealand by Milen Marinov and Mike Ashbee (Auckland University Press),
Cover: Carolyn Lewis. Interior: Carolyn Lewis and Katrina Duncan
Exploring Society: Sociology for New Zealand Students, 4th Edition edited by Ruth McManus, Steve
Matthewman, Chris Brickell, Gregor McLennan and Paul Spoonley (Auckland University Press), Cover:
Kalee Jackson. Interior: Katrina Duncan
Hindsight: Pivotal Moments in New Zealand’s History by Mandy Hager (OneTree House), Vasanti Unka

1010 PRINTING AWARD FOR BEST COOKBOOK:

The Camping Cookbook by Sara Mutande and Andrea Lo Vetere (Beatnik Publishing), Andrea Lo Vetere and
Sara Mutande
Pass It On by Shobha Kalyan and Keryn Kalyan (self-published by Shobha Kalyan and Keryn Kalyan),
Jesssica Read in collaboration with Shobha Kalyan and Keryn Kalyan
The recipe by Josh Emett (Upstart Press in association with Blackwell & Ruth), Cameron Gibb, Blackwell &
Ruth
Two Raw Sisters – Changing Perceptions of Plant Based Food by Rosa and Margo Flanagan (Bateman Books),
Cheryl Smith, Macarn Design

HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS AWARD FOR BEST COVER:

Bullseye Bella by James T. Guthrie (Scholastic New Zealand), Leon Mackie
Hell Fire Poetry Anthology 2017–18 edited by Andy Coyle (White Wolf Black Rabbit in association with Ilam
Press), Aaron Beehre
Louise Henderson: From Life edited by Felicity Milburn, Lara Strongman and Julia Waite with Christina
Barton, Maria Lluïsa Faxedas, CK Stead and Linda Tyler (Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū),
Aaron Beehre
Mophead written and illustrated by Selina Tusitala Marsh (Auckland University Press), Vida Kelly, Vida and
Luke Kelly Design
Pass It On by Shobha Kalyan and Keryn Kalyan (self-published by Shobha Kalyan and Keryn Kalyan),
Jesssica Read in collaboration with Shobha Kalyan and Keryn Kalyan

PANZ AWARD FOR BEST TYPOGRAPHY:

Crafting Aotearoa edited by Karl Chitham, Kolokesa Māhina-Tuai and Damian Skinner (Te Papa Press), Alan
Deare, Area Design
Eileen Mayo: Nature, Art and Poetry by Peter Vangioni and Jillian Cassidy (Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o
Waiwhetū), Peter Bray, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū
Hell Fire Poetry Anthology 2017–18 edited by Andy Coyle (White Wolf Black Rabbit in association with Ilam
Press), Aaron Beehre
One Year Drawn by Pete Bossley (Point Publishing Limited), Alan Deare, Area Design
Protest Tautohetohe by Stephanie Gibson, Matariki Williams and Puawai Cairns (Te Papa Press), Gideon
Keith, Strategy Creative
We Are Here: An atlas of Aotearoa by Chris McDowall and Tim Denee (Massey University Press), Tim Denee

HACHETTE NEW ZEALAND EMERGING DESIGNER 2020 SHORTLIST:

 Santa’s Worst Christmas / Te Kirihimete i te Whakakorea by Pania Tahau-Hodge and Bryony Walker (Huia
Publishers)
 Te Rua o te Taniwha by Brian Morris (Huia Publishers)
 Awatea and the Kawa Gang by Fraser Smith (Huia Publishes)
 Ngā Kōrero Taniwha o Ngāti Manawa | Big Books for Shared Reading by Lianne Bird (Huia Publishers)
Jessica Read
 Pass It On by Shobha Kalyan and Keryn Kalyan (self-published by Shobha Kalyan and Keryn Kalyan)

ENDS

For more info please visit: www.bookdesignawards.co.nz

High-res images are available here