CBCA Book of the Year Awards
and
Awards Foundation
The most influential and highly respected awards for children's books in Australia, the Children's Book of the Year Awards have been presented since1946 to promote children's books of high literary and artistic quality.
The annual CBCA Book of the Year Awards affirm the quality of some of Australia's most creative people and provide a boost to their capacity to devote time to their craft.
CBCA Book of the Year Awards aim to:
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promote quality literature for young Australians;
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support and encourage a wide range of Australian writers and illustrators of children’s books and;
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celebrate contributions to Australian children’s literature.
Categories
There are six categories in the CBCA Book of the Year Awards.
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CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers
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CBCA Book of the Year: Younger Readers
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CBCA Book of the Year: Early Childhood
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CBCA Picture Book of the Year
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Eve Pownall Award for information books
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CBCA Award for New Illustrator
The Awards Foundation
The original prize for the Children's Book of the Year Awards was a camellia if the winner was female or a handshake if male.
Government funding supported the Awards for some time (1966-1988).
This was followed by commercial sponsorship (Angus & Robertson, Penguin Books Australia, Collins Dove and Franklin Watts in 1988; Myer-Grace Bros. 1989-1993; Angus & Robertson 1994; Reed Books Australia, Australia Post and Social Book Clubs 1995) which made it possible to offer substantial monetary prizes of up to $10,000 per category to the authors and illustrators of winning and honour books.
The Awards Foundation was established to raise money to fund prizes for the Children's Book of the Year Awards, in perpetuity. 
Find out more about the Awards Foundation and ways you can support their work here.
The 2024 CBCA Book of the Year Award Shortlist has been announced.
36 amazing Australian children’s books are celebrated. This year there were 656 entries across the six categories.
Our South Australian authors and illustrators selected for the Shortlist include:
Katrina Germein, Danny Snell and Pip Kruger.
The Notable Australian Children's Books 2024 guide is compiled from critques created by our amazing CBCA Book of the Year Award judges. This guide can help you find awesome stories to read – something many people say they struggle with.
So, share it around, talk about it, and let's keep building our love for reading!
