Penguin Random House New Zealand
Award for Best Illustrated Book 2025

Winner

Designers: Katie Kerr, Studio Katie Kerr

Title: Sight Lines: Women and Art in Aotearoa
Publisher: Auckland University Press

Format: 235 x 180mm, 444pp, section sewn, cased in square-backed over 2mm box board, cut nearly flush with book block.

Cover printed 5c (CMYK + PMS orange) and varnished, on cotton cloth with debossed panels and deep matt black foiling over type. Text is 5c (CMYK + PMS orange) throughout on 130gsm Chinese Vellum.

Typography: Caslon Ionic (Commercial Type) and GT America (Grilli Type)

Judge’s comments This is a show-stopping celebration of Aotearoa’s women and their art. Open the book and the wide margins offer space for the reader to slow down and reflect on the art within, the distinctive and unusual pairing of neon red and olive green is a bold choice, which paired with the design of the cover, has an air of both assertiveness and intrigue. This taonga should be perched atop every household’s bookshelf.