The finalists have just been announced for the Spectrum Print Book Design Awards, and the front-runner is Lara Strongman's Shane Cotton, designed by Neil Pardington and published by City Gallery Wellington and Victoria University Press.

This year, 146 titles were presented by 36 publishers – a substantial increase in the number of publishers submitting works. The judges were “pleased to see that the standard of entries from small publishers has considerably improved”, and felt that this “is proof of a vibrant publishing community”.

The judges are Dorothy Vinicombe, book promotions manager for the Whitcoulls Group; Philip Mathews, arts and books editor and assistant editor for the New Zealand Listener; and Sean McGarry, Creative Director and a partner at Base Two design agency in Wellington.

Here's the full list:

Best Book

Welcome to the South Seas
BY Gregory O’Brien
DESIGNER Sarah Maxey (cover); Katrina Duncan (interior); Greg O’Brien (endpapers)
PUBLISHER Auckland University Press

Shane Cotton
BY Lara Strongman
DESIGNER Neil Pardington
PUBLISHER City Gallery Wellington and Victoria University Press

Icons Nga Taonga
BY The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
DESIGNER Neil Pardington
PUBLISHER Te Papa Press

Cover

Shane Cotton
BY Lara Strongman
DESIGNER Neil Pardington
PUBLISHER City Gallery Wellington and Victoria University Press

Connections: Stories of Taranaki
BY Sarah Brown
DESIGNER Cato Partners
PUBLISHER Puke Ariki and District Libraries

Welcome to the South Seas
BY Gregory O’Brien
DESIGNER Sarah Maxey
PUBLISHER Auckland University Press

Typography

Icons Nga Taonga
BY The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
DESIGNER Neil Pardington
PUBLISHER Te Papa Press

Welcome to the South Seas
BY Gregory O’Brien
DESIGNER Sarah Maxey
PUBLISHER Auckland University Press

Clubs
BY Kate De Goldi and Jacqui Colley
DESIGNER: Jacqui Colley
PUBLISHER Trapeze Publishing Ltd

Use of Illustration

Dave Gunson’s New Zealand Wildlife
BY Dave Gunson
DESIGNER Nick Turzynski
PUBLISHER Penguin Books (NZ) Ltd

The Night Kite
BY Peter Bland
ILLUSTRATIONS Carl Bland
DESIGNER Margaret Cochran
PUBLISHER Mallinson Rendel Publishers Ltd

Shane Cotton
BY Lara Strongman
DESIGNER Neil Pardington
PUBLISHER City Gallery Wellington and Victoria University Press

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 24 July at The Boatshed in Wellington, in conjunction with the Booksellers Conference.