🔗 Share this article

A pair of award-winning Kiwi writers have had their books disqualified from contention for the nation's esteemed literature prize due to the use of AI in creating their cover art.

Disqualification Particulars

Stephanie Johnson's story compilation "Obligate Carnivore" and the writer's novella set "Angel Train" were submitted for the 2026 Ockham book awards and its NZ$65,000 fiction award in October, but were ruled out the next thirty days because of recently introduced rules regarding AI usage.

The publisher of the two books, Quentin Wilson, stated that the prize committee updated the criteria in the eighth month, by which point the cover designs for all submitted title would have previously been finalized.

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

Writers' Responses

Johnson voiced sympathy for the award administrators, stating she has deep concerns about AI in creative industries, but was let down by the ruling.

“It would be untrue to claim I am not upset by this,” 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 usually have little involvement in cover design and was did not know artificial intelligence had been used for her cover, which displays 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 said, noting that unlike more tech-savvy age groups, she finds it difficult to identify computer-created images.

The writer worried that readers might assume she employed AI to compose her book, which she emphatically did not do.

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

In a statement, Elizabeth Smither expressed that the designers spent hours crafting her publication's cover, which features a locomotive and an angel “half-obscured in the smoke”, inspired by artist Marc Chagall's imagery.

“My primary concern is for the designers: their careful, detailed work … is not being respected,” Smither stated.

Prize Committee's Stance

The trust chair, head of the book awards trust that oversees the Ockham awards, said the organization maintains a strong position 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,” she said.

“Nevertheless, the rules apply equally to every participant, no matter their standing, and must be enforced uniformly.”

The move to amend the artificial intelligence criteria was motivated by a desire to protect the artistic and intellectual property interests of the country's writers and illustrators, she explained.

“As AI evolves, there may well be a need for the trust to revisit and develop the criteria further.”

Industry Reflections

The publisher pointed out that publishing houses and writers regularly use software like grammar checkers and image editors, which incorporate AI, and this situation underscored the urgent need for carefully crafted guidelines.

“Our industry must collaborate to prevent a recurrence of this scenario.”

Both Smither and Stephanie Johnson have previously been jurors for categories of the prizes, and both stressed that covers get minimal attention during judging.

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

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