Stephanie Johnson and Elizabeth Smither had their books disqualified from the 2026 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards due to AI use in their cover designs.Quentin Wilson, the publisher, said it was too late to change the designs after new AI guidelines were introduced by the awards committee.Johnson and Smither expressed concerns about misunderstanding AI's role, while Nicola Legat reinforced strict AI policies for the awards.Wilson called for clearer publishing guidelines to avoid future issues.