Writers Eliminated from Aotearoa's Top Book Award After Artificial Intelligence Use in Cover Artwork

A pair of acclaimed New Zealand authors have had their books disqualified from consideration for the country's prestigious literary award due to the use of AI in creating their cover art.

Exclusion Details

Stephanie Johnson's story collection "Obligate Carnivore" and Elizabeth Smither's short novel collection "Angel Train" were submitted for the 2026 Ockham book awards and its $65,000 New Zealand dollar novel prize in the tenth month, but were disqualified the next month because of recently introduced guidelines regarding AI use.

The publisher of the two books, the publisher, explained that the awards organizers updated the criteria in August, by which point the cover designs for all entered title would have previously been finalized.

“Consequently, it was much too late for publishers to incorporate this new rule into their design plans,” the publisher noted.

Writers' Reactions

Johnson expressed sympathy for the prize administrators, stating she has serious worries about artificial intelligence in artistic fields, but was let down by the ruling.

“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 added that authors typically have minimal involvement in book artwork and was unaware artificial intelligence had been used for her cover, which displays a cat with human dentition.

“I just thought it was a photograph of a real cat and the teeth had been superimposed, but apparently it wasn’t,” Johnson explained, noting that unlike more tech-savvy age groups, she struggles to identify AI-generated graphics.

Johnson worried that the public might think she employed artificial intelligence to write her book, which she categorically denied.

“Instead of talking about my book … and what the inspiration was, we are talking about bloody AI, which I hate.”

In a comment, Smither expressed that the designers devoted considerable time crafting her book's art, which includes a steam train and an celestial figure “half-obscured in the smoke”, influenced by painter the artist's figures.

“It is them I am most concerned about: that their meticulous work … is being disrespected,” Smither remarked.

Prize Trust's Position

Nicola Legat, head of the award foundation that administers the prizes, affirmed the trust takes 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,” she said.

“Nevertheless, the rules apply equally to every participant, no matter their standing, and must be enforced uniformly.”

The decision to revise the AI criteria was driven by a desire to protect the artistic and copyright rights of the country's authors and artists, 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 publishing houses and writers often employ software like grammar checkers and image editors, which utilize artificial intelligence, and this incident highlighted the pressing need for well-defined guidelines.

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

Both Smither and Johnson have in the past served as judges for categories of the prizes, and both stressed that cover designs get minimal attention during evaluation.

“The contents and the close reading were everything,” Smither concluded.

The use of artificial intelligence in creative fields has encountered increasing examination as the tech progresses, with some groups creating ways to address its impact.