Queensland Judges - Children's Book of the Year Awards

For the 2026 judging year, Qld has two judges

Amy McKinnon - Eve Pownall Information Book of the Year Award Category

Amy McKinnon is a bookseller for Avid Reader and Where The Wild Things Are Bookshops in Brisbane. Amy has been the Book Fairs Manager at Where the Wild Things Are Bookshop since 2022, providing services to schools and childcare centres across Queensland.

More recently, Amy has been responsible for the development of WTWTA’s in-school catalogue, Reading Explorers. In 2023, Amy received a RISE International Booksellers Grant and did a residency at a bookshop in Chicago. She is an active member of the CBCA Queensland branch and has contributed to ABC Radio programs. 

When she’s not organising children’s book fairs, she’s busy reading speculative fiction and romance novels.

Lara Cain Gray - Eve Pownall Information Book of the Year Category

Lara Cain Gray is an author, librarian and storytelling advocate based in Meanjin, Brisbane. Her professional past includes research, teaching, librarianship and curatorial roles, including at the British Library, Queensland Museum, QUT and UQ.

She currently works as Head of Acquisitions at nonprofit education publisher Library For All where she creates multilingual books for communities where poverty, history or remoteness prevents children’s access to traditional libraries. She has a PhD in Australian Literature and Culture Studies, has reviewed books on her website, in print and online for over 10 years, and has held a range of board and committee roles across the Arts. Her book, The Grown-Up’s Guide to Picture Books, was published in 2024 (with Lorena Carrington & Timothy Ide, MidnightSun Publishing).

She is passionate about elevating respect for children’s literature and supporting its widespread enjoyment in homes, schools and wider society. She is honoured to be part of the judging panel in the Eve Pownall category.

Book of the Year

In 1946 the CBCA established annual book awards to promote children’s books of high literary and artistic quality. These awards are now the most influential and highly respected in Australia.

Children's Book Week®

Each year, schools and public libraries across Australia spend a week celebrating books, and Australian authors and illustrators. Teachers and librarians conduct activities relating to a theme to highlight the importance of reading.

Merchandise

The CBCA produces a range of promotional items, including stickers for publishers to place on winning and honour books, and support materials for teachers, teacher librarians and public librarians. The range is always changing and developing.

Members

As a member of the CBCA you will have access to a range of Member Only benefits including: discounts on CBCA Book Week merchandise, access to high resolution Book Week images, Shortlist annotations, branch specific activities and offers.

Donate to our Gift Fund

Throughout the year, we work in partnership with authors, illustrators, publishers and booksellers to bring literature into the hearts and minds of children. Your donation will help us continue this important work.

Reading Time

The CBCA has a strong commitment and a long history of reviewing Australian children’s books. For many of the seventy years CBCA has been in existence reviews were presented in our print journal Reading Time.