🔗 Share this article

A pair of award-winning Kiwi authors have had their works disqualified from contention for the nation's prestigious literature prize due to the utilization of AI in designing their book covers.

Disqualification Details

The author's short story compilation "Obligate Carnivore" and Elizabeth Smither's short novel set "Angel Train" were entered for the Ockham 2026 book awards and its NZ$65,000 novel prize in October, but were disqualified the following month due to recently introduced rules concerning AI usage.

The publisher of the two books, the publisher, stated that the prize committee updated the guidelines in the eighth month, by which time the cover designs for every entered title would have previously been finalized.

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

Authors' Responses

The author voiced understanding for the prize administrators, saying she shares deep concerns about artificial intelligence in artistic fields, but was disappointed by the decision.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sad about it,” 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 further stated that writers typically have little involvement in cover artwork and was unaware artificial intelligence had been used for her cover, which features a feline with human-like dentition.

“I just thought it was a photograph of a real cat and the teeth had been superimposed, but apparently it wasn’t,” the author explained, adding that unlike more tech-savvy generations, she struggles to recognize AI-generated images.

Johnson feared that the public might think she used AI to write her book, which she categorically denied.

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

In a comment, Elizabeth Smither said that the designers spent considerable time crafting her publication's cover, which includes a locomotive and an angel partially hidden by smoke, influenced by painter Marc Chagall's imagery.

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

Prize Trust's Stance

The trust chair, head of the book awards trust that administers the Ockham awards, said the trust takes a “firm stance on the application of AI in books.”

“We do not make such a decision lightly, one that bars the newest works by two of New Zealand's most respected authors from the 2026 prize,” Legat said.

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

The move to amend the AI criteria was motivated by a desire to protect the creative and intellectual property rights of the country's writers and illustrators, she explained.

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

Industry Reflections

Wilson pointed out that publishers and writers regularly use software like Grammarly and Photoshop, which utilize artificial intelligence, and this situation 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 Smither and Johnson have previously been jurors for sections of the prizes, and both emphasized that cover designs receive little consideration during evaluation.

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

The application of artificial intelligence in artistic fields has encountered increasing scrutiny as the tech progresses, with some groups creating methods to counter its influence.