Entries for the 2023 PANZ Book Design Awards are now open

By Publishers Association of NZ - Te Rau o Tāpuku | Posted:

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:

  1. Penguin Random House New Zealand Award for Best Illustrated Book
  2. Upstart Press Award for Best Non-illustrated Book
  3. Allen & Unwin Award for Best Commercial Book for Adults
  4. Lift Education Award for Best Educational Book or Series – Primary
  5. Lift Education Award for Best Educational Book or Series – Secondary or Tertiary
  6. Scholastic New Zealand Award for Best Children’s Book
  7. Te Herenga Waka University Press Award for Best Typography
  8. HarperCollins Publishers Award for Best Cover
  9. 1010 Printing Award for Best Cookbook


The winner of the coveted Gerard Reid Award for Best Book sponsored by Nielsen 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 Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand People’s Choice Award on the awards night.

You can enter the awards here.

Please don’t forget to support your emerging designers. 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:

The awards will close on Friday 2 June 2023.

The shortlist will be announced on Tuesday 25 July 2023 and the winners revealed at a spring ceremony in Auckland on Thursday 21 September 2023.

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.


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