The Readings Young Adult Book Prize was established in 2016 and recognises exciting emerging voices in Australian young adult literature. First and second published works of young adult fiction and memoir are eligible.

Every year, a shortlist of six titles is selected by a revolving panel of Readings staff. Once the shortlist has been decided, a guest judge then joins the panel to select a winner. The panel also takes feedback from the Readings Teen Advisory Board into consideration. The Prize is awarded to the best new contribution to Australian young adult literature.

Previous winners of the Readings Young Adult Book Prize include The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon in 2017 and Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough in 2018. Find both of their winning books here.

The Readings Young Adult Book Prize in 2019

Staff judges for this year include Dani Solomon (Readings Kids), Georgia Phelan (Readings Doncaster) and Kate O’Mara (Readings Hawthorn).

Our 2019 guest judge is Cath Crowley. She is the much-loved and multi-award-winning author of several books for teens. Her latest book is Take Three Girls, which she co-wrote with fellow YA luminaries Fiona Wood and Simmone Howell.

The 2019 shortlist will be announced online in late May, with the winning book to be revealed in late July. This year, the winning author will receive prize money of $3000.

Eligibility Guidelines for 2019

• The Readings Young Adult Book Prize is open to published works of young adult memoir and fiction.
• Young adult fiction may a novel, a novella, a verse novel or a collection of short stories by a single author.
• Young adult memoir may be original, or a young reader’s edition of an adult memoir.
• The author must be an Australian citizen or hold permanent residency at the time of entry.
• The book must be the author’s first or second published work of young adult fiction only. The author may have published books in other areas.
• Second or subsequent books in a series will not be considered.
• Co-authored works will only be considered if all contributing authors fit our guidelines.
• Books published only in e-book form are not eligible to be entered.
• Self-published works are not eligible to be entered.
• Entries must be published in English.
• Authors must be living at the date of publication.
• Authors who win the Readings Prize for Young Adult Fiction will no longer be eligible for this Prize in future years.
• To be eligible for the 2019 Prize, books must have been first published between Thursday 26 April 2018 and Wednesday 24 April 2019.
• Authors who are employed by Readings during the judging period for each year are not eligible for the Prize. For the 2019 Prize round, this period is from Thursday 26 April 2018, through to Friday 26 July 2019.

Entry Guidelines for 2019

There is no process for entering the Prize. The judging panel, comprised of experienced Readings’ staff, will decide on eligible titles and invite respective publishers to submit no more than three reading copies of the nominated book for Prize consideration throughout the eligibility period. Further copies may be requested if the book is shortlisted.

Enquiries

Enquiries should be directed to the Prize Manager Jackie Tang at jackie.tang@readings.com.au.

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