Overview
- Elizabeth Smither’s Angel Train and Stephanie Johnson’s Obligate Carnivore were ruled ineligible for the 2026 Ockham fiction prize after AI elements were found in their jackets.
- The New Zealand Book Awards Trust confirmed the decision after the publisher, Quentin Wilson, acknowledged AI-generated imagery, which contravenes criteria applied for the first time this year.
- The rules, amended in August, judge books as whole works including cover design and bar any AI-generated illustrations or AI-authored content.
- Wilson argued the timing was unfair because covers were completed before the change, while both authors said they had little involvement in cover design and were unaware AI was used.
- Trust chair Nicola Legat said the criteria must be applied consistently and may be refined, and similar AI restrictions will apply to the 2026 Children and Young Adults awards.