Established in 2008 and first awarded in 2012-2013, the Australian Children's Laureate is an honour awarded by the Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation.
The Laureate is appointed for a term of two years, and selected from recommendations made by 24 organisations, including: Australian Society of Authors, Australian Booksellers Association, Australian Library and Information Association, Australian Association for the Teaching of English, Australian Literacy Educators Association, Book Links QLD, Centre for Youth Literature, State Library Victoria, Children’s Book Council of Australia, Copyright Agency, Early Childhood Teachers Association, First Nations Australia Writers Network, IBBY Australia, National Library of Australia, Libraries ACT, State Library New South Wales, State Library South Australia, State Library Western Australia, State Library Queensland, Libraries Tasmania, Northern Territory Library, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, WA, The Literature Centre, Fremantle, and WestWords, NSW.
The establishment of an Australian Children's Laureate to promote the importance of reading is based on the successful implementation of this idea in the UK and US.
The Children's Laureate will be an Australian author and/or illustrator of children's and/or youth literature who is making a significant contribution to the children's literature canon of this country. The Laureate will be appointed on a biennial basis and will promote the transformational power of reading, creativity and story in the lives of young Australians, while acting as a national and international ambassador for Australian children's literature.
The Children's Laureate is chosen by the Australian Children's Literature Alliance (ACLA).
For further information, see the ACLA website, http://www.childrenslaureate.org.au/
