Nine of our books appeared on the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards longlist, three on the shortlist announced in March, and last week at the prize ceremony in Auckland, as part of the Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki, we were delighted and moved to see Delirious by Damien Wilkins win the $65,000 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction (Damien cantering across the stage at the last possible moment, after a series of mishaps on the journey from Wellington to Auckland).

This year the fiction judges were Thom Conroy, Tania Roxborough and Carole Beu, along with international judge Georgina Godwin. 'Delirious is an unforgettable work of fiction that navigates momentous themes with elegance and honesty,' they said. 'With a gift for crisp, emotionally rich digression, Damien Wilkins immerses readers in Mary and Pete’s grapples with ageing and their contemplations of lost loved ones who still thrive in vivid memories. What stood out to the judges was the assured but understated touch of prose as it flows elegantly across decades, threads the intricacies of relationship, and fathoms the ongoing evolution of a couple’s grief. Wilkins manages to contend with colonialism, racism, and climate change while remaining intimate, funny, and, above all, honest. Delirious is an absorbing, inspiring novel, and a damn fine read.'

Damien Wilkins (right), winner of the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, with THWUP publisher Fergus Barrowman. Photo: LK Creative

It was wonderful to see two of our authors win Mātātuhi Foundation Best First Book Awards: Michelle Rahurahu won the Hubert Church Prize for Fiction with her superb novel Poorhara, and Una Cruickshank won the E.H. McCormick Prize for General Nonfiction or her dazzling essay collection The Chthonic Cycle.

'Poorhara is a road trip novel unlike any other,' the judges wrote. They were impressed by 'the urgency of Michelle Rahurahu's tragi-comic crises and the clarity of her depiction of colonialism, a presence in the book as incessant and rotten as Star’s relentless toothache.'

Michelle Rahurahu, winner of the Hubert Church Prize for Fiction. Photo: LK Creative

The nonfiction judges – Holly Walker, Ross Calman and Gilbert Wong – said of Una Cruickshank's debut: 'In this singular essay collection, Una Cruickshank uses pearls, jet, amber, coral, and other biogenic talismans to open new perspectives on climate change, humanity, and maybe even hope. The Chthonic Cycle is bold and convention-breaking, and unlike anything the judges had read before.'

Una Cruickshank, winner of the E.H. McCormick Prize for General Nonfiction. Photo: LK Creative

All three winning authors are graduates of, or professors at (!), the International Institute of Modern Letters, a vital part of Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s investment in creative arts in Aotearoa.

On The Spinoff you can read an interview with Damien the morning after the ceremony, and re-live the night with Claire Mabey's live blog. Reading Room reported on the evening and the winners here.

Read about all of the award winners here.

Congratulations everyone, and thank you to the generous sponsors, the judges, the organisers of the Ockham NZ Book Awards and the Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki, and of course the readers and champions of these superb books.