2024 CBCA Book Of The Year Awards
We’re thrilled to announce the 2024 CBCA Book of the Year Award Honours, Winners, and Sun Project: Shadow Judging Book of the Year Award Winners.
Join Matthew Pieri and Gloria Hanna from the Australian Theatre for Young People as they walk us through this year’s ‘magical’ lineup of Australian books for children, as selected by both our qualified judges, and our shadowers as part of the 2024 Sun Project: Shadow Judging program.
You can download the PDF winners list.
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.
Note: Books in this category are for mature readers and some may deal with particularly challenging themes including violence and suicide. Parental guidance is recommended.
Winner | Older Readers
- Grace Notes
- Karen Comer
- Lothian Children's Books
- ISBN: 9780734421722
Shadow Judging Winner | Older Readers
- Inkflower
- Suzy Zail
- Walker Books Australia
- ISBN: 9781760653736
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. 7-12 years.
Note: some of the titles in this category may only be suitable for readers who are in the upper primary years as they contain mature themes, including violence. Parental guidance is recommended.
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.
Book of the Year: Picture Book
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.
(Note: some of these books may be for mature readers.)
Honour Book - 2024 Picture Book
- Paper-flower Girl
- Mateja Jager (Text: Margrete Lamond)
- Dirt Lane Press (an imprint of WestWords)
- ISBN: 9780645352399
Honour Book - 2024 Picture Book
- That Bird Has Arms
- Ronojoy Ghosh & Niharika Hukku (Text: Kate Temple & Jol Temple)
- Little Hare (an imprint of Hardie Grant Children's Publishing)
- ISBN: 9781761210310
Book of the Year: 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.
(Note: books in this category are for mature readers and some may deal with particularly challenging themes including violence and suicide. Parental guidance is recommended)
Book of the Year: New Illustrator Award
This Award aims to recognise and encourage new talent in the field of Australian children’s book illustration. Ages 0-18 years.
Winner - 2024 New Illustrator Award
- Hope is the Thing
- Erica Wagner
- A & U Children
- ISBN: 9781761180026