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Two award-winning New Zealand writers have had their works excluded from consideration for the country's esteemed literary award due to the utilization of AI in designing their book covers.

Disqualification Details

Stephanie Johnson's short story collection "Obligate Carnivore" and the writer's short novel collection "Angel Train" were entered for the Ockham 2026 literary prizes and its NZ$65,000 fiction award in October, but were ruled out the following month due to new rules concerning artificial intelligence use.

The publisher of both titles, the publisher, stated that the prize organizers amended the criteria in August, by which point the covers for every submitted title would have previously been completed.

“It was, therefore, far too late for any publisher to have taken this clause into account in their design briefs,” Wilson noted.

Writers' Reactions

The author expressed sympathy for the award administrators, saying she has serious worries about artificial intelligence in creative industries, but was disappointed by the decision.

“It would be untrue to claim I am not upset by this,” she commented. “It’s my 22nd book, and it is my fourth collection of short stories. These stories … were written over a sort of 20 year period, so for me, it’s quite an important book.”

She added that writers usually have minimal involvement in cover artwork and was did not know AI had been employed for her book cover, which features a cat with human teeth.

“I believed it was an actual cat photo with superimposed teeth, but that was not the case,” Johnson explained, noting that unlike younger age groups, she struggles to recognize AI-generated images.

Johnson feared that readers might think she employed artificial intelligence to write her work, 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 comment, Smither said that the artists spent hours crafting her book's cover, which includes a locomotive and an celestial figure “half-obscured in the smoke”, influenced by painter Marc Chagall's figures.

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

Prize Committee's Stance

Nicola Legat, chair of the book awards trust that administers the Ockham awards, said the organization maintains a “firm stance on the use of artificial intelligence in books.”

“The trust does not take lightly a decision that prevents the latest works of two of New Zealand’s most esteemed writers from being considered for the 2026 award,” 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 aim to protect the artistic and intellectual property interests of the nation's authors 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 authors often use software like grammar checkers and Photoshop, which incorporate AI, and this situation underscored the pressing requirement for well-defined guidelines.

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

Both Elizabeth Smither and Stephanie Johnson have in the past served as judges for sections of the Ockham awards, and both stressed that cover designs receive minimal attention during judging.

“The text itself and its detailed analysis were all that mattered,” the author concluded.

The use of artificial intelligence in creative fields has encountered growing scrutiny as the technology advances, with some groups creating methods to counter its impact.