Herb MacDonald has been named the winner of the 2024 Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize.

The prize offers a unique opportunity for an unpublished New Zealand-based illustrator to illustrate Margaret Mahy’s classic stories. It was launched by Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand, Little Moa and the Margaret Mahy Estate in 2019.

This year’s entrants had the chance to illustrate Margaret Mahy’s beloved story The Great White Man Eating Shark.

The judging panel praised Herb MacDonald’s witty and inventive illustrations and commended the wonderful interplay between the text and pictures “cheeky ‘Norvin-esque’ swimmers could entertain and enthral each season’s pod of readers.”

Born and raised in South Waikato, Herb MacDonald now lives in Titirangi, Auckland. He credits the endless supply of paper at the Tokoroa Paper Mill as the beginning of his love of drawing. His first published drawing (a zebra and a finch) appeared in the NZ Herald when he was 7 years old. After a career in advertising, including running his own design business for the last 15 years, he is excited to be rediscovering his passion for illustration.