Entries to the 2025 PANZ Book Design Awards are now open!
By Publishers Association of New Zealand/Te Rau o Tākupu (PANZ) | Posted: Thursday May 22, 2025
Entries close on Friday 30 May 2025.
The PANZ Book Design Awards were established to promote excellence in, and provide recognition for, the best book design in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Entries are judged in nine categories, Penguin Random House Award for Best Illustrated Book, Upstart Press Award for Best Non-illustrated Book, Allen & Unwin Award for Best Commercial Book for Adults, Scholastic New Zealand Award for Best Children’s Book, Award for Best Educational Book or Series – Primary, Award for Best Educational Book or Series – Secondary or Tertiary, Te Papa Press Award for Best Typography, HarperCollins Publishers Award for Best Cover, and 1010 Printing Award for Best Cookbook.
The winner of the coveted Gerard Reid Award for Best Book sponsored by NielsenIQ BookData is chosen from the shortlist.
A further award goes to the Hachette Aotearoa NZ Emerging Designer. But it’s not just the judges who make the decisions, those attending the ceremony have the chance to vote for the winner of the BookHub People’s Choice Award on the awards night.
You can enter the awards here.
Please don’t forget to support your emerging designers. This year we have update the criteria to reflect length of time in the industry rather than having an age limit. Eligibility is now based on length of time in the book design industry. The designer must have been working in the book design industry for no more than 5 years as at 31 December 2024.
The Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand Emerging Designer Award is free to enter and comes with a $1000 prize for the winner. So help us to spread the word by forwarding the details on to your in-house and freelance designers who may be eligible.
The online entry option for the Emerging Designer award can be found here or you can download a hardcopy here.
We look forward to seeing all your wonderful entries soon.
Dates for your diaries:
Entries will close on Friday 30 May 2025.
The shortlist will be announced on Tuesday 22 July 2025 and the winners revealed at a spring ceremony in Auckland on Thursday 18 September 2025.
Remember to keep an eye on the PANZ Book Design Awards website www.bookdesignawards.co.nz for more news and details of the awards ceremony. All entry forms and criteria are also available on the website.