Register for the Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize

Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand, local children’s imprint Little Moa and the Margaret Mahy Estate are proud to announce the return of the Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize for its eighth year.

This year, illustrators get the chance to reimagine Aunt Nasty, the story of a rude, cantankerous, yet secretly kind witch who terrorises and surprises her family when she comes to stay.

Aunty Nasty was first published in 1973 as part of The Third Margaret Mahy Storybook and has since captured many readers' attention. In 2004, Peter Bailey (best known as a long-time collaborator with Phillip Pullman) was asked to provide an image of Aunt Nasty for inclusion in a new collection titled Watch Me! His black and white line drawing brought to life a tall, skinny witch with a hooked nose and wart-infested face. 

In 2015, Aunt Nasty’s story was pulled from the collection and became a standalone story with artwork from award-winning illustrator Chris Mould.Bridget Mahy, manager of the Mahy Estate says: “Aunt Nasty is the most fabulous character to illustrate, shrewd and clever with a streak of brilliance. There is nothing like a snarky, cackly character who really has a heart of gold. I cannot wait to see how illustrators will capture her magic.”

This year, entrants are asked to submit a character study of Aunt Nasty, along with a storyboard and one final piece of artwork. 

Please note: New guidelines have also been introduced surrounding the use of AI, prohibiting the use of AI-powered tools or technologies to generate creative content (including artwork, images, and text) in submissions. Full guidelines will be sent to illustrators upon registration.

The winning illustrator will receive a $2000 cash prize, a $500 library of books, and the opportunity for this project to be developed into a published picture book.

The Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize was launched in 2019 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Mahy’s children’s picture book classic, A Lion in the Meadow. One of New Zealand’s leading illustration prizes, it offers the unique opportunity for an unpublished local artist to illustrate Mahy’s work. To date, the prize has paved the way for eleven emerging artists to have their illustrations published by Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand and Little Moa.

2025 winner Emma Collicott’s vibrant reimagining of The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate will be published 25 August 2026.

How to Enter

Register to enter below. Once registered we will email you with everything you need to complete your entry. You have until 12pm Thursday 23rd July 2026 to submit your entry.  

Important dates

Launch date: Wednesday 18th March 2026

Entries close: Thursday 23 July 2026

Finalists announced: Thursday 20 August 2026 at 12pm

Winner announced: Thursday 27 August 2026 at 12pm

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens after I register?

Once you register, we will send you everything you need to get started: story text, brief with rubric and a storyboard template.

While the illustration prize is running we will email you with helpful hints, tips and guidance from our publishing team and previous winners to help you formulate the strongest submission you can. The information provided in the emails will be a helpful guide for future submissions.

Why do you ask for a full storyboard and two final art spreads to be submitted?

With picture books, one strand of the story is told via words and the other through the art. The storyboard allows the judging team to see how you will tell the story from page to page, beginning to end.

The final art showcases your use of colour and space and the little details that indicate you know your audience.

Our aim is to publish a picture book the following year using the winning submission as the first step in the publishing process.

Can I use AI with my submission?

Submissions must be the creator’s original work. Works containing AI-created or generated images, in part or in whole, are not eligible. When you register for the Illustration Prize, we will send you comprehensive AI guidelines. Please email us at [email protected] if you have any queries.

What happens if I win the illustration prize?

Our publisher will talk to you and the Mahy Estate about the opportunity to develop your submission into published work. When agreement between all parties is met, a publishing contract, with standard advances and royalties on top of the prize money, will be offered.

You will also receive $2000 cash and $500 worth of Hachette books.

Are there further opportunities?

Since the inception of the Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize in 2019, we have published all five illustration prize winners:

• 2019 winner Sarah Greig, The Boy With Two Shadows
• 2020 winner Lily Emo, The Boy Who Made Things Up
• 2021 winner Minrui Yang, There’s a King in the Cupboard
• 2022 winner Jessica Twohill, The Witch in the Cherry Tree
• 2023 winner Alba Gil Celdrán, 17 Kings and 42 Elephants
• 2024 winner Herb MacDonald, The Great White Man Eating Shark

All entrants are considered for further illustration projects. See below for details.

• 2021: The Fairies’ Night Before Christmas, illustrated by Sarah Greig#1 NZ Children’s bestseller
  Smith and Caughey’s Christmas Window
  Inspiration for The Coalition For Books 2021 Christmas Catalogue
• 2021: A Stick and A Stone, illustrated by 2019 Runner Up, Hilary Jean Tapper
  Published in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and the USA.
  Foreign language rights sold to Turkish publisher
• 2022: Hachette Australia contracted Hilary Jean Tapper to illustrate What to Say When You Don’t Know What to Say, written by the award winning Davina Bell
• 2022: The Fairies’ Night Before Christmas Activity Book, illustrated by Sarah Greig
  Also available in te reo Māori, Ngā Ponimatarau me te Pō i Mua i te Kirihimete He Puka Ngohe
• 2022: The Chaos Before Christmas, illustrated by Lily Emo
  Smith and Caughey’s Christmas Window
  Foreign Language Rights sold to Polish Publisher
• 2023: The Fairies’ Easter Egg Surprise, illustrated by Hilary Jean Tapper
• 2023: Hachette Australia have contracted Hilary Jean Tapper to illustrate the sequel to What To Say When You Don't Know What To Say.
• 2023: The Gnomes’ Very Berry Christmas, illustrated by Minrui Yang
• 2024: The New Zealand Easter Activity Book, illustrated by Hilary Jean Tapper
• 2024: The Very Best Words, illustrated by 2021 and 2022 Runner Up Sarah Trolle
• 2024: Let Me Be Frank, illustrated by Minrui Yang
• 2024: Miles and Jones: The Anaconda Attack, illustrated by 2020 and 2022
  • Runner Up César Lador
  • UK and US rights sold
• 2025: Miles and Jones: The Blizzard of Blobs, illustrated César Lador
• 2025: Dragonfall: The Fate of Dragons, illustrated by Alba Gil Celdrán
  #1 bestseller
• 2025: Whānau, illustrated by 2020 runner-up Rehua Wilson
  #1 bestseller
• 2025: May You Always Know, illustrated by previous entrant Bethany Gale
• 2025: Poppa’s Workshop, illustrated by Jessica Twohill
  A top ten children’s bestseller
  Featured on TVNZ’s Breakfast
  Inspired a Christmas display at the Sky Tower
• 2026: Little Moa and Friends: Easter Colouring, illustrated by Jessica Twohill
• 2026: Miles and Jones: The Curse of the Carnivorous Cactus, illustrated César Lador
• 2026: How To Have Good Dreams, illustrated by Alba Gil Celdrán
• 2026: B is for Bird by Lily Emo
• 2026: Miles and Jones: The Day of the Dinosaur Disaster, illustrated César Lador

There are more in the works, so watch this space.