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A pair of award-winning Kiwi authors have had their books excluded from consideration for the country's prestigious literature award due to the use of AI in creating their book covers.

Exclusion Details

The author's short story collection "Obligate Carnivore" and Elizabeth Smither's novella collection "Angel Train" were submitted for the 2026 Ockham book awards and its $65,000 New Zealand dollar fiction award in October, but were disqualified the next thirty days due to new rules regarding AI usage.

The publishing house of the two titles, Quentin Wilson, explained that the prize organizers updated the guidelines in the eighth month, by which point the cover designs for all submitted book would have previously been finalized.

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

Authors' Responses

The author voiced understanding for the award administrators, saying she shares serious worries about AI in creative 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 further stated that authors typically have minimal input in cover artwork and was did not know artificial intelligence had been employed for her book cover, which features a cat with human-like dentition.

“I believed it was an actual cat photo with superimposed teeth, but that was not the case,” the author said, adding that unlike more tech-savvy generations, she finds it difficult to recognize computer-created graphics.

Johnson worried that the public might assume she employed artificial intelligence to compose her book, which she emphatically denied.

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

In a statement, Smither said that the designers spent considerable time creating her book's art, which includes a locomotive and an celestial figure partially hidden by smoke, inspired by painter the artist's figures.

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

Award Trust's Position

The trust chair, chair of the award foundation that administers the Ockham awards, affirmed the trust maintains a “firm stance on the use 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,” she said.

“However, the criteria apply to all entrants, regardless of their mana [status], and must be consistently applied to all.”

The move to revise the AI criteria was motivated by a aim to support the creative and intellectual property rights of the country's authors and artists, she added.

“With artificial intelligence advancing, the trust may need to review and refine these criteria in the future.”

Publishing Considerations

Wilson noted that publishing houses and authors often use software like Grammarly and Photoshop, which incorporate artificial intelligence, and this incident highlighted the urgent requirement for well-defined guidelines.

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

Both Elizabeth Smither and Stephanie Johnson have in the past been jurors for categories of the Ockham awards, and both stressed that cover designs receive little attention during judging.

“The text itself and its detailed analysis were all that mattered,” the author said.

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