The 2025 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Older Readers ShortlistClick h
 The 2025 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Younger Readers
 The 2025 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Early Childhood Shortlist
 The 2025 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Eve Pownall Award Shortlist
 The 2025 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Picture Book Shortlist
 The 2025 CBCA Award for New Illustrator
Older Readers: Inkflower by Suzy Zail Young Readers: Scar Town by Tristan Bancks Early Childhood: The Concrete Garden by Bob Graham Picture Book of the Year: Every Night at Midnight by Peter Cheong Eve Pownall: Australia: Country of Colour by Jess Racklyeft We are super proud of our WA author illustrator Peter Cheong, for winning the Shadow Judging Award for his debut book as both author and illustrator, Every Night at Midnight. Congratulations to WA's Peter Cheong!
Books have always been a vital part of Peter’s life.
Growing up on Roald Dahl and having adventures with Calvin and Hobbes, Peter was heavily influenced by the way Quentin Blake and Bill Watterson brought stories to life. After spending several years in the Australian Army, Peter finally decided to pursue his dream of a career in books. Peter Cheong is the illustrator of I’m a Hero Too, Nothing Alike and the Pow Pow Pig series. Every Night at Midnight is his first book as both author and illustrator. Peter unfortunately cannot turn into a wolf himself but is still trying. Peter lives in Perth (Whadjuk Region), Western Australia, with his very understanding wife and son and less understanding cat. He is currently working on his second author/illustrated book, Where We Can Hear the Giants Sing, which will be released in the American Fall of 2024. The CBCA WA branch are so proud but not surprised to see our amazing WA creatives win at the CBCA's Book of the Year Awards 2024.
Briony Stewart won in the Early Childhood category, with her dazzling Gymnastica Fantastica (see her matching dress above). Kelly Canby won the coveted Picture Book of the Year with her profound story Timeless, about making time to enjoy one's family and community. Whilst, Mark Greenwood and Frané Lessac, were acknowledged with an honour book title in the Eve Pownall category for their book Our Country: Where History Happened, which beautifully details our First Nation's history. Our Peter Cheong won the Shadow Judging award for Every Night at Midnight under the Picture Book of the Year Award, which is awarded by our young people. We are also very proud of all our WA storytellers that were nominated. Aren't we so lucky to have such talented and creative storytellers in our backyard? CBCA WA Branch congratulates all the winners, and honourable books in the 2024 Book of the Year Awards. Older ReadersBooks eligible for this category target young people aged 13 to 18 years, encompassing secondary school level. Readers should possess the maturity to understand the themes and depth of emotional engagement. Entries in this category may include fiction, drama, illustrated text, poetry, or graphic novels.   Younger ReadersBooks in this section are intended for children between the ages of 7 and 12, which corresponds to the lower to upper primary school level. The category includes fiction, drama, graphic novels, illustrated text, and poetry.   Picture Book of the YearBooks in this category should belong to the genre where the text and illustrations come together to achieve artistic and literary harmony, enhancing and unifying the story, theme, or concept. A picture book may be authored and illustrated by one creator or be a collaborative effort between multiple creators. The text and illustrations form a cohesive unit, with the illustrations playing an essential role in conveying or expanding upon the meaning of the page. This category is suitable for readers aged 0 to 18 years.   Early ChildhoodBooks eligible for this category should cater to the reading abilities and preferences of young children aged 0 to 6 years, particularly those at preschool and infant levels. This encompasses fiction, poetry, wordless books, board books, and concept books. The illustrations should directly correspond to the text on the page and typically should not convey additional meaning to the narrative.   Eve Pownall AwardBooks in this group should primarily focus on documenting factual information. It is important to think about creative presentation, interpretation, and stylistic variation. This encompasses non-fiction works, autobiographies, and biographies specifically. However, activity books, textbooks, and procedural texts are not included. The target age range for this category is from 0 to 18 years.   Award For New IllustratorThis category is for books with illustrators who are new or emerging in the children's book illustration field. Illustrators can participate in the CBCA Award for New Illustrator category in their debut year of publishing children's books, provided that their illustrations contribute significantly to the overall appreciation of the work by developing a narrative. The eligible age range for this category is 0 to 18 years.  Congratulations to all the fabulous winners and nominees! City of Perth Library Book of the Year (WA winners) exhibition An exhibition opened recently at the City of Perth Library showcases the West Australian winners of the CBCA Book of the Year Awards (BOYA). Over the past few years, the West Australian Branch members have gathered a full complement of CBCA BOYA winners’ books which are used for display at their various events and now this exhibition is bringing some of that collection to the wider public. Gail Spiers and Jan Nicholls have been instrumental in putting the exhibition together which includes in addition to the display of winning books, artefacts, biographical information and a digital slideshow on the enormous video wall in the library’s foyer. The very first Award in 1946 was won by West Australian Leslie Rees for The Story of Karrawingithe Emu, a salute to our unique wildlife. This was followed a few years later in 1954 with Australian Legendary Tales, stories of the Euahlayi people of North-Western NSW, collected by K. L. Parker, edited by Henrietta Drake-Brockman and illustrated by Elizabeth Durack. These works are steeped in Australian culture and its natural wonders and reflect the tropes of Australian publishing at the time. As the books showcased at the library range from 1946 up to 2022 the exhibition is a stark snapshot of trends in publishing, both in the physical attributes of the book and in the changes in subject matter. Over the following decades, West Australian creators have won in most categories of the Awards. Jan Ormerod, won Picture Book of the Year in 1982 with Sunshine. This work without written text, is focused on the child in a domestic setting. Jan won again in the Early Childhood category in 2014 with The Swap, illustrated by Andrew Joyner and in 2011 with Maudie and the Bear, illustrated by Freya Blackwood. In 1998, Elaine Forrestal’s issues-based work, Someone Like Me which focused on bullying won the Younger Readers’ category. Twenty years later in 2018, Bren MacDibble’s work How to Bee, an ‘issues’ book of its day, this time climate change, was the winner in that same category. In 1999, Shaun Tan won Picture Book of the Year with The Rabbits. This work, written by John Marsden is a searing tale of colonization made more powerful by Tan’s surreal illustrations. Tan’s signature talent was recognized in the Picture Book category again in 2007 with The Arrival, in 2014 with Rules of Summer and in 2019 with Cicada. In 2009 his Tales from Outer Suburbia which features fifteen short illustrated stories based on Tan’s memories of growing up in suburban Perth won the Older Readers’ category. Local creators have continued to shine in the Picture Book category with winners in 2003, In Flanders Fields illustrated by Brian Harrison-Lever and text by Norman Jorgensen, and in 2021 How to Make a Bird with Matt Ottley’s illustrations and Meg McKinlay’s text. In 2021 Davina Bell became the state’s second winner in the Older Readers’ category with The End of the World is Bigger Than Love. In that same bumper year of firsts, No! Never!, by Libby Hathorn and Lisa Hathorn-Jarman, illustrated by Mel Pearce, won in the Early Childhood category. The most recent winner in 2022 is A Glasshouse of Stars by Shirley Marr in the Younger Readers’ category.  2022 winner - A Glasshouse of Stars display The exhibition which runs until the end of October is worthy of attention not just because it is a visual feast of local talent but it is also a fascinating historical insight into how our writers
reflect so tellingly the societal concerns and issues of their time. It is as much a sociological history as it is one of publishing trends reflecting the interests and concerns of readers. Some of these books are out of print and the exhibition is an opportunity to promote the works and their successful West Australian creators. Sue Wyche WA creatives surround Shirley Marr, winner of the 2022 CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers at the Dreaming with Eyes Wide Open Dinner  |
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AWARDS FOUNDATION
We dreamt of funding prizes for Winning and Honour Books in the Children’s Book of the Year Awards to reward their creators. Your generous donation was part of that dream. You can make our dream a reality. GIFT FUND Your donation to the CBCA Gift Fund will help fund programs that enrich young lives through Australian stories and create a thriving creative world. Support our mission to connect, communicate, celebrate and advocate stories across Australia. |
AWARDS FOUNDATION BENEFACTORS
Allen & Unwin • CBCA NSW Branch Inc • Eddie and Dina Coffey • Laurie Copping OAM • Margaret Hamilton AM • Maurice Saxby AM Scholastic Australia • Thyne Reid Trust No. 1
Major Donors
Australia Post • Jill B Bruce • Sandy Campbell • CBCA ACT Branch • CBCA SA Branch • CBCA QLD Branch • CBCA VIC Branch • CBCA WA Branch • Era Publications • Terry Fahy • Five Mile Press • Libby Gleeson AM • Bob Graham • Hachette Children’s Books • Hardie Grant Egmont • HarperCollins Publishers • Ipswich District Teacher-Librarians’ Network • The James N Kirby Foundation • Kinross-Wolaroi School • Koala Books • Library Board of Queensland • Dr Robin Moncrieff Morrow AM• Angela Namoi • Northern Territory Government • Parents & Boys of Sydney Grammar Edgecliff Prep School • Penguin Books • Random House • Emily Rodda (Jennifer Rowe) • Gillian Rubinstein • SA Dept of the Arts & Cultural Development • Gail Spiers • Myrtle Spiers • Cathie Tasker • University of Queensland Press • Julie Vivas • Walker Books • Margaret Wild • Sue Williams
Major Donors in Memoriam
Jean Chapman • Max Fatchen • Beryl Moncrieff Matthews • Christobel Mattingley • Jill Midolo • John Moffat • Narelle Oliver • Jan Ormerod • Eve Pownall • Marion E Robertson • Gregory Rogers • Sebastian Walker • Cassandra Weddell • Maisie Williams, Garah, NSW
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