Judges — PANZ Book Design Awards 2026
The judges for the 2026 PANZ Book Design Awards are; Erica Harrison, designer, illustrator and co-founder of Messy Press; Carly Yates, designer for design studio Seven; Dr George Hajian, designer, artist and Senior Lecturer at Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau, Auckland University of Technology; and Courtney Smith, co-owner and book buyer for Lamplight Books.
Convening Judge Erica Harrison
Erica Harrison (Convenor) is an illustrator and children’s book designer based in Auckland. She is the co-founder of new children’s publishing studio, Messy Press, which recently won Best Children’s Publisher of the Year for Oceania at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. With over 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, she has designed activity books, board books, and illustrated non-fiction for some of the world’s best children’s publishers. Her graphic novel for young readers, Detective Stanley and the Mystery at the Museum, is a finalist at this year’s New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
Carly Yates is a designer at Seven with over 11 years’ experience across a range of design disciplines, with editorial design holding a special place for her. She enjoys solving the puzzle of organising complex content into engaging, considered reading experiences, creating tangible pieces that reflect the care and craftsmanship behind them. A few of her notable book projects include Making Space, The Collector and Edith Collier. Having spent much of her career preparing and entering work for design awards, she is excited to be on the other side of the judging process. She looks forward to celebrating the craft, creativity and collaboration behind exceptional book design in Aotearoa.
Dr George Hajian is a designer, artist, and Senior Lecturer at Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau, Auckland University of Technology. His design practice focuses on publication design, printmaking, and self-publishing, with a strong emphasis on analogue processes and material experimentation. Originally from Beirut, Lebanon, George has worked across the design and publishing industries in Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad. His art practice brings together collage, screen-printing, and mark-making, with a particular interest in printed matter, paper, and the tactile qualities of the handmade.
Courtney Smith is the co-owner and book buyer for Lamplight Books, an independent bookstore that champions beautiful books. Lamplight was awarded Bookshop of the Year in 2023 and serves a lively community of artists, architects, and designers.
PANZ employs a strict conflict of interest policy and no judge is permitted to judge any category in which they have book design work entered. Where a judge has a perceived conflict of interest with a book, publisher or designer they will recuse themselves from judging the relevant category. This process is closely monitored by PANZ.
