Dunedin writer Tania Roxborogh received the inaugural Young Adult Award for her book titled Banquo's Son, published by Penguin Group New Zealand last year.
Central Otago writer Kyle Mewburn won Te Tohu Taurapa in te reo Maori children's picture book category for Huhu Horoheke (Scholastic), which was illustrated by Rachel Driscoll and translated by Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira.
The judging panel was delighted with the standard of entries and commended Ms Roxborogh's historic and adventurous novel, set in Scotland in the years after the MacBeths' rule.
They said her writing made Shakespeare accessible to readers who might not always be so intrigued.
"While the novel introduced new characters, there were some recognisable ones.
"It was like coming across an old friend when characters from MacBeth appeared," one of the judges said.
Other award winners were Gavin Bishop for There was a Crooked Man (Gecko Press), which won the LIANZA Russell Clark Award; Dudley Muff for Dear Alison (Penguin Group NZ), which won the LIANZA Elsie Locke Award for Non Fiction; Richard Newsome for The Billionaire's Curse (Text Publishing), which won the LIANZA Esther Glen Award for junior fiction.
Darryn Joseph's Hewa (Pearson NZ Ltd) received Te Kura Pounamu for the second year in a row and Te Tohu Nga Kete e toru for te reo Maori fiction; Huia Publishers for the non-fiction series Nga Rakau, which was awarded Te Tohu Hoani Whatahoro; and Hautipua Rererangi (Huia Publishers), edited by Julian Arahanga and illustrated by Andrew Burdan, which won Te Tohu Pounamu.
