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A pair of award-winning New Zealand writers have had their books excluded from consideration for the nation's prestigious literary award due to the utilization of AI in designing their cover art.

Disqualification Details

The author's story collection "Obligate Carnivore" and the writer's novella collection "Angel Train" were entered for the Ockham 2026 book awards and its NZ$65,000 novel prize in October, but were ruled out the next thirty days because of new rules regarding artificial intelligence use.

The publishing house of both books, Quentin Wilson, stated that the awards organizers amended the guidelines in August, by which point the covers 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,” Wilson noted.

Authors' Reactions

Johnson expressed sympathy for the prize organizers, saying she has deep concerns about AI in creative industries, but was let down by the ruling.

“It would be untrue to claim I am not upset by this,” she commented. “This marks my 22nd publication and my fourth short story anthology. These tales … were composed over roughly two decades, making this a particularly significant work for me.”

Johnson added that writers usually have minimal input in cover design and was unaware artificial intelligence had been used for her cover, which displays a cat with human teeth.

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

Johnson feared that readers might think she employed AI to compose her work, which she emphatically did not do.

“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 spent considerable time crafting her book's cover, which features a locomotive and an celestial figure “half-obscured in the smoke”, influenced by artist the artist's figures.

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

Prize Trust's Stance

The trust chair, head of the book awards trust that oversees the prizes, affirmed the organization maintains a strong position on the application of AI in books.”

“The trust does not take lightly a decision that prevents the latest works of two of New Zealand’s most esteemed writers from being considered for the 2026 award,” Legat stated.

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

The move to amend the AI guidelines was driven by a desire to protect the creative and copyright interests of the country's writers and illustrators, she explained.

“As AI evolves, there may well be a need for the trust to revisit and develop the criteria further.”

Industry Reflections

The publisher noted that publishing houses and writers often use software like Grammarly and image editors, which utilize AI, and this incident highlighted the pressing requirement for carefully crafted policies.

“Our industry must collaborate to prevent a recurrence of this scenario.”

Both Elizabeth Smither and Johnson have in the past served as judges for categories of the Ockham awards, and both emphasized that cover designs get little attention during evaluation.

“The contents and the close reading were everything,” the author said.

The application of AI in artistic fields has encountered increasing examination as the tech advances, with some groups developing ways to counter its influence.