The Centre for Youth Literature has just announced the two longlists for the Inky Awards.

The Inky Awards recognise high-quality young adult literature. There are two awards: the Gold Inky Award for an Australian book, and the Silver Inky Award for an international book. The shortlist is selected by young adults, and the winners are voted for online by the teen readers of the Inside a Dog website.

The Gold Inky Longlist (Australian books)

The longlist for the Gold Inky is a mix of Australian YA heavy-hitters and exciting emerging voices. Ranging from from dystopian sci-fi, to verse narrative, to politically plugged-in contemporary fiction, this longlist features bestselling authors such as Amie Kaufman, Lili Wilkinson, Jay Kristoff, Lynette Noni and Ellie Marney alongside debuts and up-and-comers.

• Hive by A.J. Betts
• A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews
• I Am Out with Lanterns by Emily Gale
• Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough
• Ice Wolves: Elementals Book 1 by Amie Kaufman
• The Art of Taxidermy by Sharon Kernot
• Lifel1k3 by Jay Kristoff
• White Night by Ellie Marney
• Whisper by Lynette Noni
• After the Lights Go Out by Lili Wilkinson

The Silver Inky Longlist (International books)

Like the Gold Inky longlist, the longlist for the Silver Inky showcases the variety of YA – queer romances, dark and witty thrillers, heart-racing fantasy and contemporary fiction that deals sensitively with grief, identity and finding your voice.

• The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• What if It’s Us by Adam Silvera & Becky Albertalli
• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
• The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
• Between the Blade and the Heart by Amanda Hocking
• I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman
• The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X.R. Pan
• Scythe by Neal Shusterman
• Navigating the Stars by Maria V. Snyder

The teen judges who will determine the shortlists for this year’s Inky Awards will be announced later this month. After the shortlists are revealed in August, teens aged 12-19 years will be able to vote for the winner on the Inside a Dog website, with the winner to be announced in September

Find out more about the Inky Awards here.