Share your favourite
Australian books with us!
YABBA is all about getting children’s views on their favourite books.
The entire YABBA program begins with Australian children recommending their favourite books so others can read them. This is how we compile the shortlist each year.
The books children recommend as their favourites will be collated with those from other schools and libraries across the country. The ten most popular books in each section will appear on the shortlist for that year.
YABBA encourages you to collect the maximum number of nominations possible, in any or all of the sections. Don’t worry if you are unsure if a title fits into a particular section, simply record the information in the section that seems most appropriate and we’ll work it out.
Award Categories
-
Picture Story Books
A book in the Picture Book genre.
-
Fiction for Younger Readers
A fiction book aimed at students in the early stages of reading, typically children in the middle of primary school.
-
Fiction for Older Readers
A fiction book for students that are independent readers, typically students in the upper years of primary school.
-
Fiction for Years 7-9
Fiction books for students in the first few years of secondary school.
Nominations for 2025 are open!
Nominating is easy. Just choose the option below that suits you best.
And if you have questions, click here. We might have the answer for you!
Nominations close Friday April 4th, 2025.
Your Nomination options
-
![An illustration of children hovering around a laptop showing the YABBA website and encouraging people to nominate their favourite books online.]()
Nominate Online
Best for individual students.
You can nominate up to 4 books if you like! -
![An illustration of a teacher and her students downloading a nomination form from the YABBA website.]()
Bulk Nominations
Ideal option for schools and teachers. Download the form and submit all your students’ votes at once.
-
![Illustration of a school librarian helping children borrow books from their school library.]()
Library Borrowing
Print a report from your Library Management system detailing the title, author and number of borrowings over the past year.
Nomination Rules:
Any child from Grade Prep to Year 9 may nominate up to 4 books
Books must be Australian fiction
Books must have been first published in the past 10 years.
Books must not be a previous YABBA Winner
Nominations must be for a specific title e.g. Selby Surfs not Selby books
When two books from the same series win a REAL Award (YABBA or KOALA) within 5 years, that series is no longer eligible for nomination.
-
Yes, there are a few simple rules:
Any child from Grade Prep to Year 9 may nominate up to 4 books
Books must be Australian fiction
Books must have been first published in the past 10 years.
Books must not be a previous YABBA Winner
Nominations must be for a specific title e.g. Selby Surfs not Selby books
When two books from the same series win a REAL Award (YABBA or KOALA) within 5 years, that series is no longer eligible for nomination.
-
YABBA is all about getting children’s views on their favourite books. This shows us what Australian kids love to read, and provides recognition for our wonderful authors and illustrators.
-
YABBA encourages you to collect the maximum number of nominations possible, in any or all of the sections. Don’t worry if you are unsure if a title fits into a particular section, we’ll work it out.
-
YABBA Awards are presented in each of these categories:
Picture Story Books
Fiction for Younger Readers
Fiction for Older Readers
Fiction for Years 7-9
-
Simply print a report from your Library Management system detailing the title, author and number of borrowings over the past 12 months.
Email the report to answers@yabba.org.au by the closing date
-
The books children recommend as their favourites will be collated with those from other schools and libraries from across Australia. The ten most popular books in each section will appear on the shortlist for that year.
Do you have questions about nominating your favourite books? The answers might be here!