Awards

Book Awards: the illustration finalists

This year we’re kicking off our NZCYA Awards coverage with the Russell Clark Award for Illustration finalists! We have some exclusive insights into the process of creating the illustrations for each book, including storyboards, mood boards, working sketches, hand cutting…

The finalists of the 2021 NZ kids’ book awards are…

Each year, the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults make for a massive occasion in the Aotearoa kids book world – move over Oscars, out of the way Silver Scrolls. This is our night. The awards celebrate excellence in…

Book Quiz: World Famous Beyond NZ

Welcome back to another Sapling quiz! Today, we’re testing your knowledge of New Zealanders who have picked up international prizes for their work in the children’s publishing space. Give it a go! Test yourself, share with a friend, and let…

The winners of the 2020 Book Awards are …

Fresh off an online ceremony (which you can watch here!) the results are in and your New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults winners are… The Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and the Non-Fiction Award: Mophead by…

Book Awards: The Non-Fiction Finalists

Simie interviewed five booksellers from around the motu about their favourite finalists in the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction category in this year’s NZCYA Awards. Booksellers are the passionate people who are putting these books into the hands of the…

Book Awards: The Reo Māori Finalists

Our coverage of the category finalists continues with reviews from a couple of talented tamariki. Elliah and Hineraukura have provided their thoughts on the finalists for the Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for Te Reo Māori, both in…

Book Awards: The Junior Fiction Finalists

As part of our coverage for the NZ Book Awards, we asked the publishers of the junior fiction finalists what it was about these particular stories that caught their imaginations, and why they seemed right for this format. These are…

Book Quiz: The 2020 children’s book awards

The final announcement of the 2020 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults is less than a month away, and we’ve been doing a fair bit of coverage of the finalists here on The Sapling. But have you…

Book Awards: The Young Adult Fiction Finalists

As part of our coverage of this year’s NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we’ve asked the authors of the young adult fiction finalists to explain the story behind their respective stories, and why they had to be…

Book Awards: Best First Book Finalists

Another week, another category of NZCYA Award finalists to highlight! Today, it’s the Best First Book finalists, answering questions about the hows and the whys of their fabulous books. From supermarket noticeboards, bungalows and large, mixed whānau to gardens and…