The organization of the Ockham Awards, New Zealand’s highest literary award, has disqualified Elizabeth Smither and Stephanie Johnson, two prominent authors in the country, for the use of artificial intelligence on the cover of the books they have submitted to the competition. The publisher Quentin Wilson Publishing confirmed to Efe this Wednesday that the works Angel Train, of Smither, and Obligate Carnivore, by Johnson, have been left out of the contest after a bookseller suspected the use of AI in the illustrations and reported it to the organizers. The editorial group has confirmed the use of the technological tool in the design processes of these covers.
The president of the literary awards board, Nicola Legat, has reaffirmed the firm stance they have regarding the use of AI in books: “The foundation 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.” Both Smither and Johnson have been part of the award jury in previous editions. Legat explained that the regulations on AI were born from the desire to support the creative and copyright interests of the country’s writers and illustrators.
The literary recognition, endowed with 65,000 New Zealand dollars (31,700 euros), applies its new regulations on artificial intelligence for the first time. The rules say that books with AI-generated elements on their covers cannot be chosen for the award. However, the publisher has alleged that the rules were published in August, “too late for any publisher to adjust their orders,” and that changes of such importance are usually announced a year in advance.
In a statement, Smither said he was sorry for the cover designers: “They are the ones who worry me the most: that their meticulous work… is not being respected.” Johnson has declared to The Guardian that he is sad about the decision, but that he shares the organization’s concern about the use of artificial intelligence. “Instead of talking about my book… and what the inspiration was, we are talking about damn AI, which I hate,” he lamented.
The editor has stated that what happened highlights the “urgent need” to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in the sector, since this type of tools are used in daily practice, for example, in Photoshop or in the text editor Grammarly.
“It breaks our hearts that two works of fiction by such respected authors end up trapped in an issue that does not affect their writing,” the publisher clarified, and has defended the work of the production and design team that incorporates AI in its creative process, but “it does not replace our creativity, but is a natural extension of our craft.”
About the authors
Elizabeth Smither – author of poems, short stories and novels – is a member of the New Zealand Academy of Literature. She was named New Zealand Poet Laureate for three years (2001-2003) and in 2008 received the Prime Minister’s Literary Achievement Award for Poetry, as well as winning the New Zealand Book Awards Poetry Prize in 1990 and the New Zealand Montana Poetry Prize in 2000.
Stephanie Johnson is also a member of the New Zealand Academy of Literature, thanks to her work in fiction, poetry, short stories and even theatre, television and radio. She received the Prime Minister’s Literary Award in 2022 and in 2019 was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her contribution to literature.