Big Names Feature on National Children's Book Award Shortlist
Posted: Thursday Jun 06, 2024
Check out all the finalists for the 2024 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
Books that will delight and inform – from big names such as Joy Cowley, Gavin Bishop, Stacy Gregg, Tessa Duder and Donovan Bixley as well as talented newcomers – have been announced today as finalists in the 2024 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
The shortlist highlights the best books for young readers, with picture books that entertain, junior fiction novels that offer escapism, young adult fiction that doesn’t shy away from the complexity of the teenage experience, non-fiction that expands minds, and beautifully illustrated titles that showcase Aotearoa’s creative talent.
This year’s two expert judging panels – a bilingual English and Māori panel and a separate Te Kura Pounamu panel to judge titles in te reo Māori – were impressed by the calibre of entries. The 175 submissions were reduced to a shortlist of 28 titles only after many hours of debate.
“There were many titles filled with humour to spark joy and provoke giggles, alongside explorations of big topics of identity, climate change, grief, mental health and history that are relevant to curious younger readers,” says 2024 convenor of judges Maia Bennett (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), who is a public and secondary school librarian in Wānaka.
“The interest and focus on our past perhaps reflects the impact of the Aotearoa New Zealand history curriculum on our publishing community. And we were impressed by how many books were woven through with te reo and aspects of te ao Māori,” Maia says.
The judges are mindful of the role the shortlist serves as a curated annual guide to the best in local publishing for children and teenagers. Maia says the diverse 2024 shortlist offers something for every type of reader.
To this end, tamariki and rangatahi were involved in the judging process this year in a larger way than ever before. Kura Kaupapa Māori, primary, intermediate and secondary schools across the motu all put their hands up to receive entries in relevant categories, along with judging guidelines and review templates to encourage considered feedback for the judging panel. In total 75 schools participated and over 500 reviews were supplied for consideration.
The judges found the student feedback invaluable, and Maia believes this is an important aspect of shaping a shortlist that resonates with young readers.
The winners of each of the six main categories – Picture Book, Junior Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Non-Fiction, Illustration and te reo Māori – take home $8500 and are then in the running to be named the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year, with a further $8500 prize money. In addition, the judges will award a Best First Book prize of $2500 to a previously unpublished author or illustrator.
The ceremony to announce the winners will take place at Pipitea Marae in Wellington on the evening of Wednesday 14 August.
Click here to see the 2024 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults finalists: 2024 Awards Shortlist | New Zealand Book Awards Trust (nzbookawards.nz)