Colin Monteath has been named the recipient of the Nankervis/Bamford NZ Mountain Book of the Year 2024 for his book Erebus The Ice Dragon: A Portrait of an Antarctic Volcano. 

The $2,000 grand prize is awarded in the NZ Mountain Book Competition as part of the long-running NZ Mountain Film and Book Festival. The Nankervis/Bamford prize is awarded to the book that brings the mountain experience into the hearts and minds of the reader.

Accomplished photographer and writer Colin Monteath has 32 seasons in Antarctica under his belt and made the first descent into the inner crater of Erebus. The book weaves together history, science, art and adventure, supported by images Colin has taken over his lifetime of working in the region.

Colin will be speaking at the NZ Mountain Film and Book Festival in Wānaka on Monday June 24. 

The Heritage Award goes to Desmond Bovey for his book Tongariro National Park: An Artist's Field Guide. The judges described Desmond’s book as “magical, detailed and pretty, with immense value as a guide and companion for mountain walkers and nature artists”. 

Victoria Bruce took out the Narrative Award for her book Adventures with Emilie: Taking on Te Araroa Trail in 138 Life-changing Days. Victoria took on the ‘Long Path’ with her seven-year-old daughter and her book is an honest story of complex post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, and how her outdoor challenges helped her to face her past and forge a new direction in life. 

Victoria will also be a guest speaker during the festival in Wānaka.  

"Reading through this year's Mountain Book Festival entries was a pleasure, narrowing down a list of finalists was hard yakka,” head judge Laura Williamson said.

“Every book stood out in its own way. In the end, the winners stood out even more, each approaching our wild places and the people who explore them in new and profound ways.”

The NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival will run in Wānaka from June 21 to 25, in Queenstown June 27 to 28, and films will be available to watch online in NZ and Australia throughout July.

The festival’s literary events include guest speakers, author readings, book signings and book launches. The full festival programme will be launched on May 21.