New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults

Grab your tickets now to join in the celebration of the best books for young New Zealand readers, and applaud the winners, at an exuberant awards ceremony – emceed by Jase Te Patu – in the Alan Gibbs Centre at Wellington College | Te Kāreti Tamatāne o Te Whanganui a Tara on Wednesday 10 August.

The 38 finalists include many of the country’s finest children’s writers, illustrators and translators. Their talent will be acknowledged on the night by publishers, politicians, booksellers, librarians, media and supporters of the children’s literature community. Members of the public are welcome to purchase tickets too.

Winners in the 2022 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults will be announced in six categories: Picture Book, Junior Fiction (the Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen award), Young Adult Fiction, Non-Fiction, Illustration (the Russell Clark Award) and Te Reo Māori (the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award).

All category winners will compete to be named the night’s supreme winner of the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year. The judges will also present the NZSA Best First Book award to a previously unpublished author or illustrator from the shortlist of five titles.

All guests with tickets are also invited to join the post-ceremony reception, with refreshments from 8.15pm to 9.30pm.

This is a popular event with a limited number of seats available, so buy your ticket today, and join in this unique celebration of Aotearoa’s very best children’s literature.