With the 2026 CBCA Book of the Year Notables announced earlier this week, it feels timely to reflect on this year’s judging process. Enjoy this insightful post provided by Anna Davidson that presents thoughts on the process from our three Tasmanian judges.
Tasmania is proudly represented by three CBCA judges in 2026: Dr Mark Macleod (Picture Book and New Illustrator); expatriate from the Northern Territory, Kym Diprose (Younger Readers), and myself (Early Childhood). You can read a short biography of each judge here.
Collectively, we have read 405 books over the past year, assessing each title against the award criteria to determine which titles progress to the Notables list, Shortlist, Honour Books and ultimately, the coveted gold Winner medal.
In February, judges from across Australia gathered at the State Library of Victoria for a weekend of keynote addresses and panel discussions featuring academics, authors, illustrators and publishers. These professional conversations, alongside our formal deliberations, informed the final decisions about this year’s winning titles.
We invite you to hear from each of the Tasmanian judges as we share our reflections on a stimulating and celebratory weekend dedicated to the very best of contemporary Australian children’s literature.
From Picture Book and New Illustrator judge, Mark …
I especially valued the willingness of the Picture Book and New Illustrator judges to put aside ego and offer a list of Notables and Winners that represent the best of Australian visual storytelling for young people this year. Of course, with well over 200 other books, there were many wonderful books that missed out. And each of us on the panel had to watch much loved favourites lose a place in the final list. But we are confident that both the winners and the could-have-won selections will create a valuable ongoing conversation about what readers want and need.
From Younger Reader judge, Kym …
It was interesting to find out that the Younger Readers panel were all teacher librarians this year. I was sensitive to the possibility that this may have resulted in homogeneous opinions. But we came from very different geographical areas and life experiences so instead our deeply held professional respect for each other resulted in a wonderful camaraderie. Careful listening meant that we all altered our understanding of elements of various books after taking into account the thoughtful consideration of the other members of the panel. We were able to negotiate our Notables by teleconferencing. The joy of the judging deliberations was our opportunity to talk at length about how the language, originality and challenge within our selections heightens the reading experience of the readers in our category.
From Early Childhood judge, Anna …
The conference opened with a keynote from Dr Christine Oughtred, who framed our deliberations through her exploration of the question, ‘Judging Quality Children’s Literature: Science or Magic?’ Christine spoke about the delicate balance between critical evaluation and the intangible qualities that make a story meaningful, reminding us to leave space for young readers to bring their own experiences and interpretations to a text. Christine’s reflections strongly resonated with the Early Childhood judging panel as we considered the shortlisted titles. After months of meeting online, it was a pleasure to gather in person to reach our final decisions. Dr Oughtred, approaching the books with fresh eyes, offered thoughtful provocations that encouraged us to re-examine each title from new angles and deepen our discussion.
With only a month to go until the 2026 CBCA Book of the Year Shortlist is announced on the 31st March we hope you enjoy exploring the wonderful selection of Notable books.
Anna Davidson
2025-2026 Book of the Year Judge
Junior School Teacher Librarian, avid reader (mad for Middle Grade Fiction), dog lover, yogi, nature lover, tea drinker
Twitter - @davidsonteach
Editor’s note: Well done judges! What a wonderful, diverse selection of books on the 2026 Notable lists. Thank you for devoting long hours to reading, collaborating and cogitating over so many titles. Your insights are appreciated!
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