19 February 2026
The NZ Booklovers Awards 2026 shortlist, announced today, features a mixture of debut authors and well-known writers. Books by Jacinda Ardern, Dominic Hoey, Chris Blake, Stef Harris, Dr Hinemoa Elder, Jane Ussher & John Walsh, Elizabeth Knox, Stacy Gregg, Sonya Wilson and Rachael King are among the diverse titles nominated for the NZ Booklovers Awards, alongside exciting new writers and outstanding debut books.
With five categories in the Awards, eight books are shortlisted in the Best Novel category, seven books in the Children’s Picture Book category, six books each in the Lifestyle and Junior Fiction categories, and five books in the Young Adult category.
NZ Booklovers Director Karen McMillan says the awards, now in their eighth year, received 145 entries, all of a very high standard.
‘It was a pleasure to read so many outstanding books written by talented New Zealand authors,’ Karen McMillan says. ‘We are delighted to celebrate the shortlisted authors after robust judging to select the finalists. Our fiction award celebrates the best in storytelling, well-written books where the story is key. Our lifestyle award applauds beautifully presented non-fiction books that can enrich our daily lives. In our Young Adult category, we sought a read that would entertain and provoke thought. For our children’s book awards, we wanted picture books and junior fiction that engage children and foster a love of reading. We are thrilled to see the exceptional books that New Zealand authors have created. These are superb books that Kiwi families will read and treasure. Thank you to Lighthouse PR and Copyright Licensing for supporting the NZ Booklovers Awards so that we can celebrate these remarkable New Zealand writers.’
The NZ Booklovers Awards 2026 shortlisted titles are:
NZ Booklovers Award for Best Adult Novel 2026, sponsored by Lighthouse PR
1985 by Dominic Hoey (Penguin)
A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan (Allen & Unwin)
Fulvia by Kaarina Parker (Echo Publishing)
Softly Calls the Devil by Chris Blake (Echo Publishing)
The Girl from Sarajevo by Stef Harris (Quentin Wilson Publishing)
Three Dogs, Two Murders and a Cat by Rodney Strong (LoreQuin Publishing)
Vividwater by Jacqueline Owens (Four Elements Press)
Wonderland by Tracy Farr (The Cuba Press)
NZ Booklovers Award for Best Lifestyle Book 2026. The prize is thanks to NZ Booklovers being a recipient of a Copyright Licensing New Zealand Contestable Fund Grant 2025.
Ara: A Māori guidebook of the mind by Dr Hinemoa Elder (Penguin)
Eat Wild: A foraging journey across Aotearoa by Sophie Merkens (Penguin)
My Weekend Table: Celebrating simple food from Aotearoa and beyond by Gretchen Lowe (Bateman)
New Zealand Photography Collected: 175 years of photography in Aotearoa by Athol McCredie (Te Papa Press)
Olveston: Portrait of a Home by Jane Ussher & John Walsh (Massey University Press)
The Food Farm: A life growing and eating our own food by Angela Clifford & Nick Gill (Bateman)
NZ Booklovers Award for Young Adults 2026. The prize is thanks to NZ Booklovers being a recipient of a Copyright Licensing New Zealand Contestable Fund Grant 2025.
Bear by Kiri Lightfoot (Allen & Unwin)
It’s a Bit More Complicated Than That by Hannah Marshall (Allen & Unwin)
Kings of this World by Elizabeth Knox (Allen & Unwin)
The Lost Saint by Rachael Craw (Allen & Unwin)
The People I Know Now by Jasmine Donaldson (Mary Egan Publishing)
NZ Booklovers Award for Best Junior Fiction Book 2026. The prize is thanks to NZ Booklovers being a recipient of a Copyright Licensing New Zealand Contestable Fund Grant 2025.Detective Beans: Detective Beans: Adventures in Cat Town by Li Chen (Penguin)
Dragonfall: The Fate of Dragons by Sarina Clark & Alba Gil Celdrán (Little Moa)
Dreamslinger by Graci Kim (Penguin)
The Last Journey by Stacy Gregg (Simon & Schuster)
The Secret Green by Sonya Wilson (Allen & Unwin)
Violet and the Velvets: The Case of the Missing Stuff by Rachael King (Allen & Unwin)
NZ Booklovers Award for Best Children’s Picture Book 2026. The prize is thanks to NZ Booklovers being a recipient of a Copyright Licensing New Zealand Contestable Fund Grant 2025.
Anahera: The Mighty Kiwi Māmā by Ruth Paul (Penguin)
Granny McFlitter Stitches up a Storm by Heather Haylock and Lael Chisholm (Penguin)
Mum’s Busy Work by Jacinda Ardern and Ruby Jones (Penguin)
Pukapuka by Vasanti Unka, Te Reo Māori translations by Justin Kereama (Beatnik Publishing)
Taniwha by Gavin Bishop (Penguin)
Te Ngahere i te Pō /The Forest at Night by Kiri Lightfoot and Pippa Keel Situ (Allen & Unwin)
The Tractor Has a Wobbly Wheel by Tim Saunders and Carla Martell (Allen & Unwin)
The winner in each category will be announced on 19 March 2026, and each winner will receive $500 from NZ Booklovers.
The Best Adult Fiction Book Award is judged by author, reviewer and judge of the Ngaio Marsh Awards Stephanie Jones, reviewer and librarian Clare Lyon, and NZ Booklovers Director and author Karen McMillan.
The Best Lifestyle Book Award is judged by journalist and author Andrea Molloy, Whitireia publishing programme graduate, researcher and literary event volunteer Anne Kerslake Hendricks, and publisher, home renovator and foodie Iain McKenzie.
The Young Adult, Best Junior Fiction Book and Children’s Picture Book Awards are judged by creative writing teacher, assessor, mentor and reviewer Paddy Richardson, writer and former editor Heidi North, early childhood kaiako and journalist Rebekah Lyell, high school teacher, author, musician, and reviewer Chris Reed, and primary school teacher, journalist and former book editor Stacey Anyan.
