Michael Chabon won a Pulitzer prize for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and a Nebula Award for The Yiddish Policemen's Union. Photo from the Los Angeles Times.
Mr Dean, now a sapper with the New Zealand Army, based at Linton Military Camp, won the carpentry section of the New Zealand contest and the right to compete in the WorldSkills international final in Calgary from September 1 to 6 next year.
In the New Zealand competition, he had to build a small timber structure that was assessed on the interpretation of the drawings, accuracy of measure-ments and cutting, and quality of the joints.
"The toughest part of the competition was the initial look at the plans and thinking what the heck before getting into it," he said.
He has been in the army for five years.
