BILBY Award facts for kids
The BILBY Awards are special book awards in Australia. They are organized every year by the Queensland Branch of the Children's Book Council of Australia. The name BILBY stands for 'Books I Love Best Yearly'. It's a fun way to say what the awards are all about!
These awards are chosen by kids! Every year, children in Queensland get to pick their favorite books they've read. They can't pick books that won in the last two years, though. Kids nominate books in three different age groups. This is the first step of the awards.
After nominations, about five of the most popular books in each group are chosen for a "shortlist." This is the second step. Students are then encouraged to read the books on their list. They vote for their favorite one. The book with the most votes wins in its category!
Contents
Award Categories
Before 1997, there were different award groups. These included "Read Alone," "Read Aloud," and "Read Australian" for primary school kids. There was also one for secondary school. In 1997, the awards changed to focus on age groups. The "Early Readers" group was first called "Picture Book" and then "Early Childhood."
Currently, there are three main categories:
- Early Readers – for books for kids under 8 years old.
- Younger Readers – for books for kids between 8 and 12 years old.
- Older Readers – for books for kids over 12 years old.
BILBY Award Winners List
Early Readers Award Winners
Note: Before 2001, this award had different names. It was called "Early Childhood" (1990–1999), "Picture Book" (1998–1997), and "Read Alone" (1996–1990).
| Year | Author | Book | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Judy Blume | Superfudge | Winner |
| 1991 | Roald Dahl | The BFG | Winner |
| 1992 | Paul Jennings | Unreal! | Winner |
| 1993 | Roald Dahl | The Witches | Winner |
| 1994 | Paul Jennings | Undone! | Winner |
| 1995 | Gina Ingoglia | The Lion King | Winner |
| 1996 | Martin Handford | Where's Wally? | Winner |
| 1997 | David Legge | Bamboozled | Winner |
| 1998 | Margaret Wild and Ann James | The Midnight Gang | Winner |
| 1999 | Terry Denton | Gasp! | Winner |
| 2000 | Rod Clement | Grandad's Teeth | Winner |
| 2001 | Martin Handford | Where's Wally? | Winner |
| 2002 | Bob Graham | Buffy – An Adventure Story | Winner |
| 2003 | Narelle Oliver | The Very Blue Thingamajig | Winner |
| 2004 | Dr. Seuss | The Cat in the Hat | Winner |
| 2005 | Leigh Hobbs | Old Tom's Holiday | Winner |
| 2006 | Margaret Wild, illus. David Legge | Baby Boomsticks | Winner |
| 2007 | Kara LaReau, illus. Scott Magoon | Ugly fish | Winner |
| 2008 | Jackie French, illus. Bruce Whatley | Diary of a Wombat | Winner |
| 2009 | Roald Dahl | The Twits | Winner |
| 2010 | H I Larry | Zac Power: Poison Island | Winner |
| 2011 | Vicki Myron | Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library! | Winner |
| 2012 | Dr. Seuss | The Cat in the Hat | Winner |
| 2013 | David Legge | Bamboozled | Winner |
| 2014 | David Wiesner | Art & Max | Winner |
| 2015 | Mo Willems | Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! | Winner |
| 2016 | B. J. Novak | The Book With No Pictures | Winner |
| 2017 | Aaron Blabey | Pig the Pug | Winner |
| 2018 | Andy Lee, illus. Heath McKenzie | Do Not Open This Book | Winner |
Younger Readers Award Winners
Note: Before 1997, this award was called the "Read Aloud Award."
| Year | Author | Book | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Roald Dahl | Matilda | Winner |
| 1991 | Roald Dahl | The BFG | Winner |
| 1992 | Roald Dahl | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Winner |
| 1993 | Morris Gleitzman | Blabber Mouth | Winner |
| 1994 | Roald Dahl | Fantastic Mr Fox | Winner |
| 1995 | David Kirschner | The Pagemaster | Winner |
| 1996 | Ruth Park, illus. Deborah Niland | When the Wind Changed | Winner |
| 1997 | Roald Dahl | Matilda | Winner |
| 1998 | Daisy Corning Stone Spedder, illus. Laurie McGaw | Polar, the Titanic Bear | Winner |
| 1999 | Bruce Whatley and R. Smith | Detective Donut and the Wild Goose Chase | Winner |
| 2000 | Andy Griffiths | Just Stupid! | Winner |
| 2001 | J. K. Rowling | Harry Potter series | Winner |
| 2002 | Andy Griffiths | Just Crazy! | Winner |
| 2003 | Bonnie Bryant | The Saddle Club series | Winner |
| 2004 | Andy Griffiths | Just Disgusting! | Winner |
| 2005 | Andy Griffiths, illus. Terry Denton | The Bad Book | Winner |
| 2006 | Andy Griffiths, illus. Terry Denton | Just Crazy! | Winner |
| 2007 | Andy Griffiths, illus. Terry Denton | The Cat on the Mat Is Flat | Winner |
| 2008 | Andy Griffiths | Just Shocking! | Winner |
| 2009 | Andy Griffiths | Pencil of doom! | Winner |
| 2010 | Jeff Kinney | Diary of a Wimpy Kid | Winner |
| 2011 | Jeff Kinney | Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth | Winner |
| 2012 | Jeff Kinney | Diary of a Wimpy Kid | Winner |
| 2013 | Andy Griffiths, illus. Terry Denton | The 26-Storey Treehouse | Winner |
| 2014 | Michael Gerard Bauer | Eric Vale, Epic Fail | Winner |
| 2015 | Andy Griffiths, illus. Terry Denton | The 52-Storey Treehouse | Winner |
| 2016 | Andy Griffiths, illus. Terry Denton | The 65-Storey Treehouse | Winner |
| 2017 | Andy Griffiths, illus. Terry Denton | The 76-Storey Treehouse | Winner |
| 2018 | Andy Griffiths, illus. Terry Denton | The 91-Storey Treehouse | Winner |
Older Readers Award Winners
Read Australia Award Winners
| Year | Author | Book | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Randolph Stow | Midnite | Winner |
| 1995 | Gary Crew, illus. Steven Woolman | The Watertower | Winner |
| 1996 | Paul Jennings | The Gizmo | Winner |
More About Book Awards
- List of Australian literary awards
- List of CBCA Awards
