Press Release
Pardington Scoops Book Design Awards for Second Year Running
For the second year running Neil Pardington and his design company Base Two have taken the major prize in New Zealand's
book design awards, announced tonight.
The photographic survey Contemporary New Zealand Photographers by Hannah Holm and Lara Strongman, published by Mountain
View Publishing, won Best Book and Best Illustrated Book and was highly commended in the Best Cover category. The
designer Neil Pardington is a seasoned winner of previous Spectrum Print Book Design Awards. In 2005 his work was
shortlisted in every category and he won Best Cover and Best Book for Shane Cotton.
Convener of judges Philip Matthews praised Pardington as an 'intelligent designer' and Pardington described working on
the book as 'a dream project'.
Collaboration was a theme with other winning books announced tonight. Winners of the Best Non-Illustrated Book and Best
Children's Book featured publisher, designer, and author or illustrator working closely on the design and production.
Designer Sarah Maxey was recognised by judges for 'setting the standard for poetry book design in New Zealand'. She was
part of the author/publisher/designer team responsible for the success of Afternoon of an Evening Train (Victoria
University Press) by Gregory O'Brien, which won Best Non-Illustrated Book.
For the first time, children's and educational books were recognised in categories of their own in these awards.
Representing the best of children's book design is Mona Minim and the Smell of the Sun, designed by Christine Hansen.
The only book for children written by Janet Frame, this was published posthumously by Random House. Best Educational
Book was awarded to Frontier of Dreams (boxed set by Scholastic NZ), published to support the popular television series
that aired last year.
Chosen from 170 entries, the full list of winners is attached.
The annual Spectrum Print Book Design Awards are run by the Book Publishers Association of New Zealand. They were
established in 1997 to recognise excellence in New Zealand book design. Judges in 2006 were journalist Philip Matthews,
bookseller Carolyn Alexander and designer Sally Hollis-McLeod.
Spectrum Print Book Design Awards 2006
WINNER, BEST BOOK
Contemporary New Zealand Photographers by Hannah Holm and Lara Strongman (Mountain View Publishing), designer: Neil
Pardington, Base Two
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Afternoon of an Evening Train by Gregory O'Brien (Victoria University Press), designers: Gregory O'Brien and Victoria
University Press, Sarah Maxey (cover)
Mona Minim and the Smell of the Sun by Janet Frame, illustrated by David Elliot (Vintage, Random House NZ), designer:
Christine Hansen
WINNER BEST COVER
Sir Edmund Hillary: An Extraordinary Life by Alexa Johnston (Penguin Group NZ), designer: Alan Deare, Inhouse Design
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Contemporary New Zealand Photographers by Hannah Holm and Lara Strongman (Mountain View Publishing), designer: Neil
Pardington, Base Two
David Lange: My Life by David Lange (Penguin Group NZ), designer: Jenny Nicholls
WINNER, BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK
Contemporary New Zealand Photographers by Hannah Holm and Lara Strongman (Mountain View Publishing), designer: Neil
Pardington, Base Two
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Daniel von Sturmer: Into a Vacuum of Future Events by Justin Paton and Andy Thomson (Daniel von Sturmer / Dunedin Public
Art Gallery), designer: Karina McLeod
Jeffrey Harris by Justin Paton (Dunedin Public Art Gallery / Victoria University Press), designer: Karina McLeod
WINNER, BEST CHILDREN'S BOOK
Mona Minim and the Smell of the Sun by Janet Frame, illustrated by David Elliot (Vintage, Random House NZ), designer:
Christine Hansen
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Haere: Farewell, Jack, Farewell by Tim Tipene, illustrated by Huhana Smith (Huia Publishers), designer: Walter Moala
WINNER BEST NON-ILLUSTRATED BOOK
Afternoon of an Evening Train by Gregory O'Brien (Victoria University Press), designers: Gregory O'Brien and Victoria
University Press, Sarah Maxey (cover)
HIGHLY COMMENDED
The Cat's Whiskers: New Zealand Writers on Cats edited by Peter Wells (Random House NZ), designers: Janet Hunt, Matthew
Trbuhovic (cover)
The Colour of Distance: New Zealand Writers in France, French Writers in New Zealand edited by Jenny Bornholdt and
Gregory O'Brien (Victoria University Press), designers: Victoria University Press and Gregory O'Brien, Sarah Wilkins
(cover)
WINNER, BEST EDUCATIONAL BOOK
Frontier of Dreams: The Story of New Zealand (boxed set) by John Parker (Scholastic NZ Ltd ), designer: Vasanti Unka
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Patterns of Life for NCEA Level 2 by Meg Bayley (Pearson Education NZ Ltd), designers: Polly Faulks (cover and interior
concept), Michele Peddie (page layout)
Tai ki Tai by Hannah Rainforth, illustrated by Josh Smits and Stacey Macfarlane (Huia Publishers), designers: Josh
Smits, Stacey Macfarlane and Walter Moala
ENDS