BILBY Award facts for kids

The BILBY Awards are super cool awards for books that kids in Queensland, Australia, love the most! They are organized every year by the Queensland part of the Children's Book Council of Australia. The name BILBY is actually a clever acronym that stands for 'Books I Love Best Yearly'.

These awards are special because they are chosen by kids, for kids! Each year, children in Queensland get to pick their favorite books they've read. The only books they can't nominate are the winners from the past two years. This first step, where kids suggest their favorite books, is called the nomination phase.

After nominations, the awards team creates a shortlist for each category. This list usually has about five of the most popular books. Then comes the second step: students are encouraged to read the books on their category's shortlist. After reading, they vote for their absolute favorite book. The book with the most votes wins the award for its category!

Award Categories

The BILBY Awards have three main categories today. These categories help make sure books are judged by kids who are the right age for them.

• Early Readers – These books are for kids who are under 8 years old.
• Younger Readers – This category is for books perfect for kids between 8 and 12 years old.
• Older Readers – These books are chosen by readers who are over 12 years old.

List of BILBY Award Winners

Early Readers Award

Note: This award had different names before 2001, like "Early Childhood" and "Picture Book".

Younger Readers Award

Note: Before 1997, this award was called the "Read Aloud Award".

Older Readers Award

See also

• List of Australian literary awards
• List of CBCA Awards