AUSTRALIAN MEMOIR ENCOUNTER WINS 2026 NYC BIG BOOK AWARD® FOR MULTICULTURAL NONFICTION

Ian Reilly’s honest memoir of Samoa, disaster, faith, compassion and cultural collision receives recognition from New York.

NEW YORK/NY, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, November 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- What happens when you enter another culture believing you can help—and discover you barely understand the world you live in?

That question lies at the heart of Australian author Ian Reilly’s "Encounter: A Journey into Chaos, Culture and Compassion," named the 2026 NYC Big Book Award^® winner for Multicultural Nonfiction and Christian Nonfiction.

Author Ian Reilly’s compelling exploration of human connection and belief, "Encounter: A Journey into Chaos, Culture and Compassion," has achieved top honors at the 2026 NYC Big Book Award, taking home the Category Winner award in both Multicultural Nonfiction and Christian Nonfiction. Recognized for its powerful storytelling and profound narrative depth, the book stands out as a bridge across cultural and spiritual divides.

The NYC Big Book Award is an international competition open to authors, publishers, and filmmakers globally. Entries are evaluated by an esteemed panel of industry experts, including publishers, editors, librarians, and booksellers, all who judge books based on literary excellence, thematic resonance, and overall impact.

In "Encounter," Reilly leads readers through diverse landscapes and societal shifts, offering an intimate lens on how faith, empathy, and shared humanity flourish even in the midst of turmoil. By capturing both global cultural dynamics and deeply spiritual moments of connection, Reilly’s work resonates across diverse reader demographics.

"Encounter" recounts the extraordinary experiences of Reilly and his wife Heather, when they arrived in Western Samoa in 1990 as young volunteer high-school teachers.

Within two weeks, a devastating cyclone struck. As they watched roads, homes, and schools disintegrate around them, the couple found themselves in a foreign country they didn’t understand, without power, water and running out of food.

Emerging from the debris, they discovered disaster survival was just a prelude to years of immersion into a radically different Pacific Indigenous culture—and encounter with the uncomfortable realities of poverty, privilege, faith, identity, power, and responsibility to community.

Instead of cross-cultural engagement seen through an ideological lens, Reilly invites the reader to participate in their lived experience: relationships, mistakes, misunderstandings, tolerance, suffering, and the gradual discovery that, while cultural immersion can be painful, it is enriching to those with the courage to dive deep.

“I write about what actually happened, without making it align with any particular ideology, so the reader can judge for themselves,” Reilly says. “Reality is always messy, nuanced and more fascinating than our wildest imagination.”

WHY "ENCOUNTER" MATTERS NOW
The recognition comes at a time when public debate is increasingly focused on questions of cultural identity, immigration, Indigenous peoples, inequality, privilege and the responsibilities of outsiders entering communities different from their own.

But "Encounter" does not attempt to settle those debates.

Instead, it puts the reader inside one.
“This is an honest, insightful and inspiring story … I highly recommend this book especially for those grappling with finding purpose in their lives,” says Tim Costello, a former World Vision CEO

ABOUT IAN REILLY
Ian Reilly is an Australian author, artist, speaker and retired tech entrepreneur.

He grew up on a small sheep farm in Australia before beginning his career as an engineer designing equipment for the Australian Army and Navy. In 1990, he and his wife Heather travelled to Western Samoa as volunteer high-school teachers.

Reilly later used his Samoan cross-cultural experience to work internationally as a product designer, innovation consultant and entrepreneur. Reilly led multinational teams to develop world-first product solutions for clients in the US, Europe and Japan, from small European and Silicon Valley startups to some of the world’s largest companies and most recognised brands - including The Coca-Cola Company. In 2014 he founded Agersens, the agricultural technology startup that created eShepherd, the world’s first virtual fencing system for cattle.

He now lives in Melbourne, Australia, where he concentrates on writing, painting, speaking and mentoring others.

ENCOUNTER – A Journey into Chaos, Culture and Compassion
Author: Ian Reilly
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Ark House Press
ISBN: 9781764054294
Available from: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or www.ianreilly.com.au

ABOUT NYC BIG BOOK AWARD
NYC Big Book Award received book submissions worldwide. Attorneys, Doctors, Entrepreneurs, Film & Television writers, Historians, Journalists, and Professors, from well-established authors to first-time indie authors as well as small and large presses participated.

Entries this year were received from the United States as well as countries such as Australia, Canada, China, Dubai, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore, South Korea United, Sweden, Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Cities represented among the entries were Auckland, Baltimore, Dallas, Frankfurt, Hollywood, Johannesburg, Manhattan Beach, New Orleans, NYC, Philadelphia, Sydney, and West Palm Beach.
Publishers included Ark House Press, Beacon Press, Berrett-Koehler, Casemate, Edinburgh University Press, Forbes Books, Kiplinger Books, NYU Press, Palgrave Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Rizzoli, Routledge, University of California Press, University of Nebraska Press, Weaving Influence Press, and Wiley.

Winners and distinguished favorites included Encounter: A Journey into Chaos, Culture and Compassion by Ian Reilly, The Lab Press’s "Essentials Vol. 1” by Luke Arnold (Black Sails) & Chris "Doc" Wyatt (TV producer/writer); Berrett-Koehler's "Catch People Doing Things Right” by Martha C. Lawrence; The White House Historical Association’s “White House Memories 1970–2007:” by Gary J. Walters (White House Chief Usher); and “Eternal Love” by Xuemo to name some key titles on the awarded list.

"We have an amazing list of authors from around the globe participating this year,” said awards sponsor Gabby Olczak. “I’m so excited to share these books with a worldwide readership!"

NYC Big Book Award, https://www.nycbigbookaward.com/, is announced every fall. NYC Big Book Award is open to all authors, publishers, and illustrators, and includes submissions from the big five publishers including Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster. Join us for the Independent Press Award, deadlines every December 15th, is open to independent authors and publishers. To see this year's list of IPA Winners, visit: https://www.independentpressaward.com/winners

And, join us for the Awards Dinner on April 10th, https://www.nycbigbookaward.com/awardsdinner, held at the BookCAMP event, April 9-10, 2027, https://www.ipabookcamp.com, where recipients from both programs walk on stage to receive their awards.

Gabby Olczak
NYC Big Book Award
+1 973-969-1899
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