31 Mar Shortlist for the 80th Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Awards – just announced!
For the 2026 awards, 736 entries were assessed by 15 expert judges, representing 166 publishers and nearly 800 creators from across Australia. The Shortlist has been selected from the entries that made it through to the Notables List
The Children’s Book of the Year Award winners will be announced with the Shadow Judging Book of the Year Winners on Friday 21 August, 2026.
Book of the Year: Older Readers
Entries in this category may be fiction, drama or poetry and should be appropriate in style and content for readers in their secondary years of schooling. Ages 13–18 years
|
Title |
Author |
Publisher |
ISBN |
|
Darkest Night, Brightest Star |
Barry Jonsberg |
A&U Books for Children and Young Adults |
9781761180385 |
|
Golden |
Jade Timms |
Text Publishing |
9781923058354 |
|
Of Flame and Fury |
Mikayla Bridge |
Macmillan Australia |
9781761563805 |
|
This Stays Between Us |
Margot McGovern |
Penguin Random House Australia |
9781761346286 |
|
Unhallowed Halls |
Lili Wilkinson |
A&U Books for Children and Young Adults |
9781760631673 |
|
We Saw What You Started |
Carla Salmon |
Pan Australia |
9781761566790 |
Book of the Year: Younger Readers
Entries in this category may be fiction, drama or poetry and should be appropriate in style and content for readers from the middle to upper primary years. Ages 7–12 years.
|
Title |
Author |
Illustrator |
Publisher |
ISBN |
|
Inked |
Karen Wasson |
Jake A Minton |
Figment Books |
9781761212475 |
|
Little Bones |
Sandy Bigna |
Tamlyn Teow |
University of Queensland Press |
9780702268878 |
|
The Paperbark Tree Committee |
Karys McEwen |
|
Text Publishing |
9781922790705 |
|
Run |
Sarah Armstrong |
|
Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing |
9781761214561 |
|
Something Terrible: Tim Tie-Your-Shoelaces |
Sally Barton |
Christopher Nielsen |
Walker Books Australia |
9781760658564 |
|
Spirit of the Crocodile |
Aaron Fa’Aoso & Michelle Scott Tucker with Lyn White |
|
A&U Books for Children and Young Adults |
9781743317099 |
Book of the Year: Early Childhood
Entries in this category may be fiction, drama or poetry and should be appropriate in style and content for children who are at pre-reading or early stages of reading. Ages 0–6 years.
|
Title |
Author |
Illustrator |
Publisher |
ISBN |
|
The Coloursf Home |
Sally Soweol Han |
Sally Soweol Han |
Thames and Hudson Australia |
9781760764654 |
|
Derek |
Anne Donaldson |
Matt Shanks |
Little Hare |
9781761215537 |
|
The Emperor’s Egg |
Rae Tan |
Rae Tan |
Lothian Children’s Books |
9780734422514 |
|
Frogs Are Our Friends |
Toni D’Alia |
Madeline White |
Bright Light |
9781761212987 |
|
My Nonno Loves |
Adelle Frittitta |
Claudia Frittitta |
Little Hare |
9781761214479 |
|
The Thing About Christmas |
Jo Dabrowski |
Briony Stewart |
Little Book Press |
9781923141407 |
Picture Book of the Year
Entries in this category should be outstanding books of the Picture Book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity or, in wordless picture books, where the story, theme or concept is unified through illustrations. Ages 0–18 years.
|
Title |
Illustrator |
Author |
Publisher |
ISBN |
|
Bob and Dob |
Sean E Avery |
Sean E Avery |
Walker Books Australia |
9781760658113 |
|
Dawn |
Marc Martin |
Marc Martin |
Walker Books Australia |
9781529527346 |
|
Dear Broccoli |
Cate James |
Jo Dabrowski |
Affirm Press |
9781923022102 |
|
The Frog’s First Song |
Jason Phu |
Jazz Money |
University of Queensland Press |
9780702268977 |
|
Once I was a Giant |
Zeno Sworder |
Zeno Sworder |
Thames and Hudson Australia |
9781760764913 |
|
Tiwi in Paris |
Glen Farmer Illortaminni |
Glen Farmer Illortaminni |
Thames and Hudson Australia |
9781760764944 |
Eve Pownall Award
Entries in this category should be books which have the prime intention of documenting factual material with consideration given to imaginative presentation, interpretation and variation of style. Ages 0–18 years.
|
Title |
Author |
Illustrator |
Publisher |
ISBN |
|
Caution! This Book Contains Deadly Reptiles |
Corey Tutt |
Ben Williams |
A&U Books for Children and Young Adults |
9781761181030 |
|
A Loo of One’s Own |
Eleri Harris |
Eleri Harris |
A&U Books for Children and Young Adults |
9781761181832 |
|
Ningaloo |
Tim Winton |
Cindy Lane |
Fremantle Press |
9781760995324 |
|
Peculiar Parents |
Stephanie Owen Reeder |
Ingrid Bartkowiak |
NLA Publishing |
9781922507822 |
|
There’s a Prawn in Parliament House: The Kids’ Guide to Australia’s Amazing Democracy |
Annabel Crabb |
First Dog on the Moon |
A&U Books for Children and Young Adults |
9781760637750 |
|
The Thylacine and the Time Machine |
Renée Treml |
Renée Treml |
A&U Books for Children and Young Adults |
9781761181184 |
Award for New Illustrator
This Award aims to recognise and encourage new talent in the field of Australian children’s book illustration.
Ages 0–18 years.
|
Title |
Illustrator |
Author |
Publisher |
ISBN |
|
Being Indy |
Estee Sarsfield |
Zoe Gaetjens |
WestWords Children’s |
9781923044517 |
|
Beyond the Shore |
Mark Chester Harding |
Kirli Saunders |
Scholastic Press |
9781761524646 |
|
A Farm by the Sea |
Jillian Packer |
Jillian Packer |
Berbay Publishing |
9781922610997 |
|
A Loo of One’s Own |
Eleri Harris |
Eleri Harris |
A&U Books for Children and Young Adults |
9781761181832 |
|
Prayer for a River |
Uncle Glenn Loughrey |
Andrew Kelly & Uncle Glenn Loughrey |
Wild Dog Books |
9781742036915 |
|
Save the Gum Trees, Bees and Big Blue Seas |
Luke John Matthew Arnold |
Luke John Matthew Arnold |
Scholastic Press |
9781760264970 |
