Ockham NZ Book Awards 2025 longlist reveals bold contenders and fresh voices
Forty-four books have been selected for the 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards longlist. The announcement includes a mix of established names and fresh talent across fiction, poetry, and non-fiction categories. Winners will be revealed in May at the Auckland Writers Festival.
The longlist features ten titles competing for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, the most prestigious award. Among them are Catherine Chidgey's The Book of Guilt—her second nomination after two previous wins—and Duncan Sarkies' Star Gazers. Airana Ngarewa's The Last Living Cannibal also stands out in the fiction category.
Last year, controversy arose when Elizabeth Smither and Stephanie Johnson's poetry entries were initially disqualified over AI-generated book covers. The decision was later reversed, allowing their works back into contention. However, details about the two authors remain unavailable in public records.
Non-fiction highlights include Dame Jacinda Ardern's memoir, A Different Kind of Power, which joins nine debut authors across poetry, illustrated non-fiction, and general non-fiction. Each of the four Best First Book winners will receive $3,000 from The Mātātuhi Foundation.
The shortlist will be announced on March 4, with the main category winners—excluding the Acorn Prize—earning $12,000 each. The Acorn Prize winner, however, will take home $65,000.
The awards ceremony will take place on May 13 during the Auckland Writers Festival. The longlist showcases a diverse range of voices, from seasoned writers to first-time nominees. Final decisions will determine who claims this year's top literary honours.
