Congrats to the AWC presenters and alumni on the CBCA Notables 2022 list!

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has released its list of Notable books for 2022 and we’re giving a standing ovation to our talented presenters and graduates who have been recognised – as well as the wonderful authors we’ve had on our So you want to be a writer podcast.

In the Early Childhood category, AWC alumna Vikki Conley has been selected for her picture book, Amira’s Suitcase (illustrated by Nicky Johnston). Vikki’s author career began after completing the Writing Picture Books course with AWC – and she hasn’t looked back since.

We were also thrilled to spot another alumna of our Writing Picture Books course – Sandhya Parappukkaran has been recognised in the Picture Book of the Year category for her brilliant story, The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name (illustrated by Michelle Pereira). Sandya’s debut book has been a hit this awards’ season, also being shortlisted for the 2022 West Australian Young Readers’ Book Awards (WAYRBA).

Self-confessed AWC course junkie Inda Ahmad Zahri is up for Picture Book of the Year for her story, Salih (illustrated by Anne Ryan). Inda achieved her childhood dream of becoming an author after joining the AWC for its creative courses and community. The rest is history!

And a big congrats to Maggie Hutchings – a Writing Picture Books alumna and prolific children’s book author who’s no stranger to the awards. This year, she’s been included for Picture Book of the Year for her book Enough Love? (illustrated by Evie Barrow).

Our superstar presenters are also in the spotlight! Popular Writing Picture Books tutor Zanni Louise is in the Early Childhood category for her book Florence & Fox (illustrated by Anna Pignataro). And our Presenting to Kids course co-creator Nat Amoore is rocking out in the Younger Readers category for her middle grade story The Right Way to Rock. Amazing work!

Finally, we’re cheering for the listed authors and illustrators that we’ve had the pleasure of chatting to on our So you want to be a writer podcast, including:

• Gary Lonesborough (The Boy from the Mish)
• C. S. Pacat (Dark Rise) 
• Kay Kerr (Social Queue) 
• Karen Foxlee (Dragon Skin) 
• Emily Gale & Nova Weetman (Elsewhere Girls) 
• Jackie French (Night Ride into Danger and Christmas Always Comes)
• Remy Lai (Pawcasso Heroes) 
• Karen Wyld (Rebels and Innovators)
• Sami Bayly (The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Peculiar Pairs in Nature)

The CBCA Awards have been running since 1946 with the aim of promoting books of high literary and artistic quality.

To view the full list of CBCA Notable Books for 2022, visit their website.

Congratulations to everyone who has made the Notables list. Stay tuned for the shortlist, which will be released on 29 March 2022.