PANZ Book Design Awards Shine Spotlight on Children’s Publishing Talent
New Zealand’s flourishing children’s book market is in the spotlight with the release of the finalists for the 2019 PANZ
Book Design Awards.
Innovative design combined with impeccable production standards made the task of whittling down a shortlist challenging
for this year’s judging panel and in the end a record nine books were selected as finalists in the children’s category
alone.
As well as demonstrating an impressive pool of talent in children’s books, the shortlist reflects excellence in design
across all eight categories, confirming that New Zealand book design is in very good heart.
Convening judge David Coventon said: “Our four judges, from varied fields enjoyed a day of discussions and deliberation
over this year’s entries. Competition categories were familiar, yet judges agreed it’s good to see a number of new names
appear across the colophons and categories. Some beautiful design solutions were both discovered and discussed – with
the children’s category in particular full of strong entries – the design community is clearly nurturing a support of,
and strength in, the publishing industry.”
David led a four strong team of judges who represented diverse facets of the publishing and bookselling industry.
Together they spent a day pouring over beautiful books to create a shortlist of 33 finalist titles.
The winners will be announced at a special ceremony in Auckland on Thursday 25 July when the Gerard Reid Award for Best
Book sponsored by Nielsen Book will also be revealed.
The industry’s design talent will assemble the next day for the PANZ Book Design Workshop sponsored by Hachette New
Zealand, which provides the opportunity to dissect the awards, enjoy panel sessions led by leading book designers and
network with peers.
The PANZ Book Design Awards were established by the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ) to promote excellence
in, and provide recognition for, the best book design in New Zealand.
Please see the attached media release for the full list of finalists for the 2019 PANZ Book Design Awards
ENDS