CBCA announces new award category

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced the introduction of the Middle Readers Book of the Year category from the 2027 CBCA Book of the Year Awards.

From 2027, books for independent readers will be recognised across 3 age-based categories. These categories will be:

• Older readers (ages 13 to 18)
• Middle readers (ages 10 to 13)
• Younger readers (ages 6 to 9).

The CBCA has also announced a revised set of award criteria and a new judging framework.

“This is designed to support consistency, transparency and clarity across all seven award categories, while allowing judges to respond meaningfully to the strengths of individual titles,” said organisers.

The new changes will be implemented from the 2027 awards and beyond (for books published in 2026).

More information is available on the CBCA website.

Category: Awards Local news