Two prominent authors have been disqualified from the 2026 Okham Book Awards, New Zealand’s highest literary award, because their covers were designed using artificial intelligence, or AI.
Stephanie Johnson’s short story collection ‘Obligate Carnivore’ and Elizabeth Smither’s novella ‘Angel Train’ were submitted in the fiction category last month, but were later disqualified by the awards committee in light of new AI guidelines. Stephanie Johnson expressed regret over the decision, saying she had no idea that the cover of her book, which features a cat with human-like teeth, had been designed with the help of AI. ‘I thought it was a real photo that had been edited.’
She also expressed her concern that people would now assume that the book was also written by AI. ‘This whole discussion is moving away from my book and onto AI, which I don’t like.’ On the other hand, Elizabeth Smither said that the designers worked for hours on the cover of her book, which shows an angel emerging from smoke and a steam engine, and she regrets that their hard work has been ignored.
Award Trust Chair Nicola Leggat said that the institution takes a strong stance on the use of AI to protect the rights of writers and illustrators and the principles apply equally to all candidates. Publishers say that tools like Grammarly and Photoshop are common in the industry and the current situation indicates that clear and actionable guidelines related to AI are urgently needed.
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