Date: 20/07/23
Organiser: School Libraries Association Victoria (SLAV)
Presenter: Tehani Croft, Teacher-Librarian, academic and previous CBCA judge
Format: Webinar
Time: 1.5 hours
Level: School librarians & teacher-librarians
Subject Area: CBCA, library events (Children’s Book week), literacy, readers advisory
Objective: Judges discussion of entries and winners in the 2023 CBCA Book of The Year Awards.
Reason for attending: Introduction to CBCA advocacy of children’s and YA literacy, support and endorsement of Australian authors and illustrators and interest in the Book of the Year awards within youth literature.
What was learnt:
I had heard of the CBCA not-for-profit organisation, seen past award-winning material displayed and promoted in libraries utilised as both a patron and a member of staff, and was acquainted with the annual Book of the Year Awards since joining the Frankston High School faculty. I was not aware of CBCAs near 80-year history invested in elevation of Australian works viewed as displaying literary merit and benefaction to children’s literature. Nor was I familiar with the CBCA partnership with the National Centre for Children’s Literature in housing a national collection centred on Australian children’s books (over 50,000) and containing archived resources regarding their authors and illustrators.
The annual Book of the Year Awards is funded through the CBCA Awards Foundation and supported by commercial sponsorship offering substantial monetary incentives as prizes. The Awards advocate resources of high integrity and creativity for readers aged 0-18.
The 2023 Awards featured 61 book submissions including 27% debut novels, 65% female-identifying creators, 60% female-identifying protagonists, 6 Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) authors, 5 LGBTQIA+ authors and 2 disabled / chronically ill authors. A predominant feature presented within many entries was positive representation of LGBTQI+ components “reflecting a growing trend reflective of societal acceptance and inclusion’ (Croft in introduction). Adolescent challenges, relationships, isolation and self-discovery were characteristics of 44% of candidates, reflecting the popularity of Australian “contemporary realism”, meaning authentic and plausible within current times.
2023 CBCA judges consisted of literacy specialists and consultants, and secondary school library department heads. Categories included older readers, younger readers, early childhood, picture book, new illustrator and the Eve Pownall Award for documentation of factual material including non-fiction, biographies and autobiographies.
Evaluation for each published work was based on criteria as stated in CBCA policy:
- “Literary merit – aesthetic qualities of language, standing the test of time, realistic characters.
- Cohesiveness – language, theme, style.
- Appeal to the implied readership.
- Quality – illustrations, book design, production, editing.
- Originality in the treatment of literary elements as they apply to the form of the work” (CBCA, n.d. -a, para 17)
The judges discussed each entry professionally within their role as educators, advocates of quality literature and representatives of children’s literacy and reading for enjoyment.
Relationship to work or study
Following my banned book research project review of this CPD activity portrayed a celebration of diversity and inclusivity. I was introduced to new material by knowledgeable and passionate information professionals whose discourse enlightened and inspired me as a librarian.
Representation and encouragement of contemporary themes relevant to children and YA with facilitation by Australian LIS and education principles demonstrates a commitment toward freedom of information, expression and choice. Seeing many of the discussed books on the library shelves in my own work environments I now appreciate the determination of this nation’s authors, illustrators, publishers and promoters to ensure CBCA’s vision “A thriving creative world embracing the transformational power of stories across generations” (CBCA, n.d -b), para 5).
References
Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA). (n.d. -a) Book of the Year Awards Policy: entry information. https://cbca.org.au/entry-information
Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA). (n.d. -b) About. https://cbca.org.au/