'Vibrant, quirky, deliciously Kiwi’ winner of 2025 Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize announced
Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand, Little Moa, and the Margaret Mahy Estate are thrilled to announce Emma Collicott as the winner of the Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize for 2025.
This year, entrants were tasked with reimagining the swashbuckling classic The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate.
The judges praised Emma’s choice to use watercolours for her illustrations, and the cleverly plotted and humourous sub-narratives hidden within the spreads, sprinkled with “uniquely Aotearoan touches”. “A strong feature of Collicott’s illustrations was their clarity and accessibility, offering a quirky charm for children while still holding interest for adults. The line drawings, enriched by a lively colour range, added a delightful vibrancy and appeal to the work. One of the more complex aspects of the task lay in balancing the images for a younger audience with a rich vocabulary and detailed text, yet this was managed thoughtfully and with creative endeavour.”
Hachette Aotearoa NZ Managing Director Mel Winder says “The Man Whose Mother was a Pirate is one of my favourite stories, who doesn’t love a story about a subversive mother! The opportunity to reinterpret the way this classic story looks is incredibly exciting, and I look forward to seeing how Emma Collicott takes up the challenge.”
Emma wins a $2000 cash prize, $500 worth of Hachette books, and the opportunity to develop her submission into a published work.
About Emma:
Emma studied Design at Massey University in Wellington, majoring in visual communication, and graduated with honours in 2001. She has worked in animation, advertising, packaging and graphic design, weaving illustration into her work at any opportunity. She loves everything about the sea and is an avid swimmer, sailor, kayaker, and diver. Emma grew up in Whakatāne and now lives in Beach Haven, surrounded by bush and the Waitematā Harbour, with her partner and two children.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens after I register?
Once you register, we will send you everything you need to get started: story text, brief with rubric and a storyboard template.
While the illustration prize is running we will email you with helpful hints, tips and guidance from our publishing team and previous winners to help you formulate the strongest submission you can. The information provided in the emails will be a helpful guide for future submissions.
Why do you ask for a full storyboard and two final art spreads to be submitted?
With picture books, one strand of the story is told via words and the other through the art. The storyboard allows the judging team to see how you will tell the story from page to page, beginning to end.
The final art showcases your use of colour and space and the little details that indicate you know your audience.
Our aim is to publish a picture book the following year using the winning submission as the first step in the publishing process.
What happens if I win the illustration prize?
Our publisher will talk to you and the Mahy Estate about the opportunity to develop your submission into published work. When agreement between all parties is met, a publishing contract, with standard advances and royalties on top of the prize money, will be offered.
You will also receive $2000 cash and $500 worth of Hachette books.
Are there further opportunities?
Since the inception of the Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize in 2019, we have published all five illustration prize winners:
- 2019 winner Sarah Greig, The Boy With Two Shadows
- 2020 winner Lily Emo, The Boy Who Made Things Up
- 2021 winner Minrui Yang, There’s a King in the Cupboard
- 2022 winner Jessica Twohill, The Witch in the Cherry Tree
- 2023 winner Alba Gil Celdrán, 17 Kings and 42 Elephants
All entrants are considered for further illustration projects. See below for details.
- 2021: The Fairies’ Night Before Christmas, illustrated by Sarah Greig
#1 NZ Children’s bestseller
Smith and Caughey’s Christmas Window
Inspiration for The Coaltion For Books 2021 Christmas Catalogue - 2021: A Stick and A Stone, illustrated by 2019 Runner Up, Hilary Jean Tapper
Published in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and the USA.
Foreign language rights sold to Turkish publisher - 2022: Hachette Australia contracted Hilary Jean Tapper to illustrate What to Say When You Don’t Know What to Say, written by the award winning Davina Bell
- 2022: The Fairies’ Night Before Christmas Activity Book, illustrated by Sarah Greig
Also available in te reo Māori, Ngā Ponimatarau me te Pō i Mua i te Kirihimete He Puka Ngohe - 2022: The Chaos Before Christmas, illustrated by Lily Emo
Smith and Caughey’s Christmas Window
Featured on Seven Sharp
Foreign Language Rights sold to Polish Publisher - 2023: The Fairies’ Easter Egg Surprise, illustrated by Hilary Jean Tapper
- 2023: Hachette Australia have contracted Hilary Jean Tapper to illustrate the sequel to What To Say When You Don't Know What To Say.
- 2023: The Gnomes’ Very Berry Christmas, illustrated by Minrui Yang
- 2024: The New Zealand Easter Activity Book, illustrated by Hilary Jean Tapper
- 2024: The Very Best Words, illustrated by 2021 and 2022 Runner Up Sarah Trolle
- 2024: Let Me Be Frank, illustrated by Minrui Yang
- 2024: Miles and Jones: The Anaconda Attack, illustrated by 2020 and 2022 Runner Up Cesar Lador
- 2025: Miles and Jones: The Blizzard of Blobs, illustrated by 2020 and 2022 Runner Up Cesar Lador
There are more in the works, so watch this space.
