KEY POINTS:
The finalists of the Montana New Zealand Book Award have been named - and the fiction writers in the running are all women.
They are Mary McCallum for The Blue, Laurence Fearnley for Edwin and Matilda, Alice Tawhai for Luminous and Charlotte Grimshaw for Opportunity. Convenor of judges Lynn Freeman says it has taken the judges by surprise.
"It's a complete reversal of what happened last year, where the finalists were all male and the category had been dominated by men. I just think that's kind of interesting. I can't tell you why it's happened, but it tickled us when we sat down to do some number crunching."
The poetry category is also an all-female contest, with Janet Charman, Johanna Aitchison and Fiona Farrell the finalists.
Ms Freeman says the judges were impressed by the level of high quality new non-fiction books. The non-fiction nominees range from books about graffiti artists and tattooists, to a look-back at 100 years of school journals. Ms Freeman says the illustrative section was particularly tough to judge.
The winners will be announced at a gala dinner at the Wellington Town Hall on July 21, except the poetry winner, who will be announced on Montana Poetry Day on July 18.
The winner in each category receives a prize of $5,000. Each category winner is eligible for the Montana Medal for non fiction or the Montana Medal for poetry or fiction, both of which carry a prize of $10,000.
The full list of finalists in the 2008 Montana New Zealand Book Awards by category are:
Fiction:
* The Blue by Mary McCallum
* Edwin & Matilda by Laurence Fearnley
* Luminous by Alice Tawhai
* Opportunity by Charlotte Grimshaw
Poetry:
* Cold Snack by Janet Charman
* A Long Girl Ago by Johanna Aitchison
* The Pop-Up Book of Invasions by Fiona Farrell
Biography:
* The Best Man Who Ever Served the Crown? A Life of Donald McLean by Ray Fargher
* The Life and Times of James Walter Chapman-Taylor byJudy Siers
* Waimarino County & Other Excursions by Martin Edmond
History:
* Age of Enterprise: Rediscovering the New Zealand Entrepreneur 1881-1910 by Ian Hunter
* Devils on Horses by Terry Kinloch
* Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka Volume II: Te Ara Hou - The New Society by Hilary and John Mitchell
Environment:
* Southern Alps by Alison Ballance
* The Surface of the Sea: Encounters with New Zealand's Upper Ocean Life by Iain Anderson
* Wetlands of New Zealand by Janet Hunt
Illustrative:
* Aberhart by Laurence Aberhart, with essays by Gregory O'Brien and Justin Paton
* Bill Hammond: Jingle Jangle Morning by Jennifer Hay, with Ron Brownson, Chris Knox and Laurence Aberhart; designed by Aaron Beehre
* Comma dot dogma edited by Aaron Kreisler
Lifestyle and Contemporary Culture:
* InForm: New Zealand Graffiti Artists Discuss Their Work by Elliot O'Donnell
* Mau Moko: The World of Maori Tattoo by Ngahuia Te Awekotuku
* Shot In New Zealand: The art and craft of the Kiwi cinematographer by Duncan Petrie
Reference and Anthology:
* Look This Way: New Zealand Writers on New Zealand Artists edited by Sally Blundell
* A Nest of Singing Birds: 100 years of the New Zealand School Journal by Gregory O'Brien
* The Transit of Venus edited by Mary Varnham
- NEWSTALK ZB
