Joy Cowley Award facts for kids
The Joy Cowley Award is a special prize given to new writers in New Zealand. It celebrates amazing picture books for children. This award was started in 2002 by the Storylines Children's Literature Foundation of New Zealand to honor Joy Cowley, who has made a huge difference in children's books.
About the Award
The Joy Cowley Award is for a story that could become a picture book. The story must be short, no more than 1000 words. It is meant for two age groups: very young children (0-7 years old) or slightly older kids (7-13 years old).
Each year, if there's a really great story, the award is given out. The winner receives NZ$1500. They also get an exciting offer to have their book published by Scholastic New Zealand, a well-known book publisher.
How to Enter and When it Happens
If you live in New Zealand and love writing stories, you can enter this award! Entries usually close on October 31st every year. The winners are announced in March of the next year. Then, the winning book is usually published the year after that.
Past Winners
Many talented writers have won the Joy Cowley Award over the years. Here is a list of some of the past winners and their books:
| Year | Author | Book |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Julie Leibrich | The Biggest Number in the Universe |
| 2004 | Jean Prior | The Waka |
| 2005 | Kyle Mewburn | Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck! |
| 2006 | Moira Wairama | The Puppet Box |
| 2007 | no award | |
| 2008 | Michelle Osment | Tiny Miss Dott and Her Dotty Umbrella |
| 2009 | June Peka | Magpie Mischief |
| 2010 | Lucy Davey | Out of Bed, Fred! |
| 2011 | Sarah Johnson | Wooden Arms |
| 2012 | Isaac Drought | Alphabet Squabble |
| 2013 | Aimee McNaughton | I Can't Imagine How it Happened |
| 2014 | Emma Vere-Jones | Stan the Van Man |
| 2015 | Joy H Davidson | Witch's Cat Wanted, Apply Within |
| 2016 | Sarah Grundy | The Curious Ar-chew |
| 2017 | no award | |
| 2018 | Elaine Bickell | The Little Ghost Who Lost Her Boo |
| 2019 | Janelle Wilkey | Omeletta Hen |
| 2020 | Tania Sickling | Grandpa Versus Swing |
| 2021 | Kirsty Wadsworth | Ihaka, the Unexpected Visitor |
| 2022 | Melanie Koster | Tama and the Taniwha |
| 2023 | Kristin Kelly | The Squeaking |
