# Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Novel

The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and WASFF to published works to "recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, horror writers". To qualify, a work must have been first published by an Australian citizen or permanent resident between 1 January and 31 December of the corresponding year; the presentation ceremony is held the following year. It has grown from a small function of around 20 people to a two-day event attended by over 200 people.
Since their creation in 1995, awards have been given in various categories of speculative fiction. Categories currently include science fiction, fantasy, horror, speculative young adult fiction—with separate awards for novels and short fiction—collections, anthologies, illustrative works or graphic novels, children's books, and an award for excellence in speculative fiction. The awards have attracted the attention of publishers by setting down a benchmark in science fiction and fantasy. The continued sponsorship by publishers such as HarperCollins and Orbit has added weight to the honour of the award.
The results are decided by a panel of judges from a list of submitted nominees; the long-list of nominees is reduced to a short-list of finalists. Ties can occur if the panel decides that both entries show equal merit, however they are encouraged to choose a single winner. The judges are selected from a public application process by the Award's management team.
This article lists all the short-list nominees and winners in the best young-adult novel category, as well as novels that have been highly commended. Four people have won the award twice – Isobelle Carmody, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfeld, and most recently Kathryn Barker. Nix and Westerfeld hold the record for most nominations with nine, and Rory Barnes has the most nominations without winning, having been a losing finalist five times.

## Winners and nominees

In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the book's eligibility; the ceremonies are always held the following year. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature" article. Entries with a blue background have won the award; those with a white background are the nominees on the short-list.
* Winners and joint winners  * Nominees on the shortlist
| Year | Author(s) | Novel | Publisher |
| 1995 | Brian Caswell* | Deucalion | UQP |
| 1995 | Garth Nix* | Sabriel | Moonstone |
| 1995 | Isobelle Carmody | Ashling | Viking Press |
| 1995 | Catherine Jinks | Witch Bank | Puffin Books |
| 1995 | John Marsden | The Third Day, The Frost | Pan Macmillan |
| 1996 | Hilary Bell* | Mirror, Mirror | Hodder Headline |
| 1996 | Kerry Greenwood* | The Broken Wheel | Moonstone |
| 1996 | Sara Douglass | Beyond the Hanging Wall | Voyager Books |
| 1996 | Victor Kelleher | Firedancer | Penguin Books |
| 1996 | Michael Pryor | The Mask of Caliban | Hodder Headline |
| 1997 | Isobelle Carmody* | Greylands | Puffin Books |
| 1997 | Catherine Jinks* | Eye to Eye | Puffin Books |
| 1997 | Patricia Bernard | The Outcast | Moonstone |
| 1997 | Damien Broderick & Rory Barnes | Zones | Moonstone |
| 1997 | Garth Nix | Shade's Children | Allen & Unwin |
| 1998 | Alison Goodman* | Singing the Dogstar Blues | HarperCollins |
| 1998 | Rory Barnes | Horsehead Boy | HarperCollins |
| 1998 | Melissa Lucashenko | Killing Darcy | UQP |
| 1998 | Dave Luckett | A Dark Winter | Omnibus Books |
| 1998 | John Marsden | The Night Is for Hunting | Pan Macmillan |
| 1999 | Dave Luckett* | A Dark Victory | Omnibus Books |
| 1999 | Rory Barnes | Horsehead Man | HarperCollins |
| 1999 | Damien Broderick & Rory Barnes | Stuck in Fast Forward | HarperCollins |
| 1999 | Victor Kelleher | Into the Dark | Viking Press |
| 1999 | Victor Kelleher | The Ivory Trail | Viking Press |
| 2000 | Sonya Hartnett* | Thursday's Child | Penguin Books |
| 2000 | Rory Barnes | Horsehead Soup | HarperCollins |
| 2000 | Richard Harland | Ferren and the Angel | Penguin Books |
| 2000 | Christine Harris | Omega | Random House |
| 2000 | Sophie Masson | The Green Prince | Hodder Headline |
| 2001 | Louise Katz* | The Other Face of Janus | Angus & Robertson |
| 2001 | Anna Fienberg | The Witch in the Lake | Allen & Unwin |
| 2001 | Garth Nix | Lirael | Allen & Unwin |
| 2001 | Cameron Rogers | The Music of Razors | Penguin Books |
| 2001 | Gillian Rubinstein | Terra-Farma | Viking Press |
| 2002 | Sophie Masson* | The Hand of Glory | Hodder Headline |
| 2002 | Kate Forsyth | The Starthorn Tree | Pan Books |
| 2002 | David McRobbie | Mum, Me, the 19th C | Angus & Robertson |
| 2002 | Natalie Jane Prior | Fireworks and Darkness | Angus & Robertson |
| 2003 | Garth Nix* | Abhorsen | Allen & Unwin |
| 2003 | Carole Wilkinson* | Dragonkeeper | Black Dog Books |
| 2003 | Janeen Webb | The Silken Road to Samarkand | HarperCollins |
| 2004 | Scott Westerfeld* | The Secret Hour | Eos |
| 2004 | Jackie French | Flesh and Blood | HarperCollins |
| 2004 | Penni Russon | Undine | Random House |
| 2004 | Matt Zurbo | Hot Nights, Cool Dragons | Allen & Unwin |
| 2005 | Isobelle Carmody* | Alyzon Whitestarr | Penguin Books |
| 2005 | Anthony Eaton | Nightpeople | UQP |
| 2005 | Justine Larbalestier | Magic or Madness | Penguin Books |
| 2005 | Scott Westerfeld | Peeps | Penguin Books |
| 2005 | Scott Westerfeld | Uglies | Simon & Schuster |
| 2006 | D. M. Cornish* | Foundling | Omnibus Books |
| 2006 | Amanda Holohan | The King's Fool | ABC Books |
| 2006 | Justine Larbalestier | Magic Lessons | Penguin Books |
| 2006 | Juliet Marillier | Wildwood Dancing | Pan Macmillan |
| 2006 | Scott Westerfeld | The Last Days | Penguin Books |
| 2007 | Anthony Eaton* | Skyfall | UQP |
| 2007 | Kate Constable | Taste of Lightning | Allen & Unwin |
| 2007 | Juliet Marillier | Cybele's Secret | Pan Macmillan |
| 2007 | Michael Pryor | Heart of Gold | Random House |
| 2007 | Scott Westerfeld | Extras | Simon Pulse |
| 2008 | Melina Marchetta* | Finnikin of the Rock | Viking Press |
| 2008 | Isobelle Carmody | The Stone Key | Viking Press |
| 2008 | D. M. Cornish | Lamplighter | Omnibus Books |
| 2008 | Alison Goodman | The Two Pearls of Wisdom | HarperCollins |
| 2008 | Sean Williams | The Changeling | Angus & Robertson |
| 2009 | Scott Westerfeld* | Leviathan | Penguin Books |
| 2009 | Kate Forsyth | The Puzzle Ring | Pan Macmillan |
| 2009 | Cassandra Golds | The Museum of Mary Child | Puffin Books |
| 2009 | Glenda Millard | A Small Free Kiss in the Dark | Allen & Unwin |
| 2009 | Sean Williams | The Scarecrow | HarperCollins |
| 2010 | Karen Healey* | Guardian of the Dead | Allen & Unwin |
| 2010 | Ananda Braxton-Smith | Merrow | Black Dog Books |
| 2010 | Sonya Hartnett | The Midnight Zoo | Penguin Books |
| 2010 | Doug MacLeod | The Life of a Teenage Body-Snatcher | Penguin Books |
| 2010 | Scott Westerfeld | Behemoth | Penguin Books |
| 2011 | Penni Russon* | Only Ever Always | Allen & Unwin |
| 2011 | Em Bailey | Shift | Hardie Grant Egmont |
| 2011 | Ananda Braxton-Smith | Secrets of Carrick: Tantony | Black Dog Books |
| 2011 | Karen Healey | The Shattering | Allen & Unwin |
| 2011 | Meg Mundell | Black Glass | Scribe Publications |
| 2012 | Kaz Delaney* (tie) | Dead, Actually | Allen & Unwin |
| 2012 | Margo Lanagan* (tie) | Sea Hearts | Allen & Unwin |
| 2012 | Andrea K. Höst | And All the Stars | Andrea K. Hosth |
| 2012 | Ambelin Kwaymullina | The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf | Walker Books |
| 2012 | Louis Nowra | Into That Forest | Allen & Unwin |
| 2013 | Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner* (tie) | These Broken Stars | Allen & Unwin |
| 2013 | Allyse Near* (tie) | Fairytales for Wilde Girls | Random House Australia |
| 2013 | Tony Davies | The Big Dry | HarperCollins |
| 2013 | Andrea K. Höst | Hunting | Andrea K. Hösth |
| 2013 | Claire Zorn | The Sky So Heavy | University of Queensland Press |
| 2014 | Jaclyn Moriarty* | The Cracks in the Kingdom | Pan Macmillan Australia |
| 2014 | Rebecca Lim | The Astrologer's Daughter | Text Publishing |
| 2014 | Lynnette Lounsbury | Afterworld | Allen & Unwin |
| 2014 | Garth Nix | Clariel | Allen & Unwin |
| 2014 | Nova Weetman | The Haunting of Lily Frost | UQP |
| 2014 | Scott Westerfeld | Afterworlds | Penguin Books Australia |
| 2015 | Kathryn Barker* | In the Skin of a Monster | Allen & Unwin |
| 2015 | Alison Goodman | Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club | HarperCollins |
| 2015 | Francesca Haig | The Fire Sermon | HarperVoyager |
| 2015 | Trent Jamieson | Day Boy | Text Publishing |
| 2015 | Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff | Illuminae | Allen & Unwin |
| 2015 | Skye Melki-Wagner | Hush | Penguin Random House Australia |
| 2016 | Alison Goodman* | Lady Helen and the Dark Days Pact | HarperCollins Publishers |
| 2016 | Jane Abbott | Elegy | Penguin Random House Australia |
| 2016 | Alison Croggon | The Bone Queen | Penguin Books Australia |
| 2016 | Emily Gale | The Other Side of Summer | Penguin Random House Australia |
| 2016 | Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff | Gemima: The Illuminae Files 2 | Allen & Unwin |
| 2016 | Garth Nix | Goldenhand | Allen & Unwin |
| 2017 | Cally Black* | In the Dark Spaces | Hardie Grant Egmont |
| 2017 | Alison Evans | Ida | Bonnier Publishing Australia |
| 2017 | Garth Nix | Frogkisser! | Allen & Unwin |
| 2017 | Emily Suvada | This Mortal Coil | Puffin UK |
| 2017 | Marlee Jane Ward | Psynode | Seizure |
| 2017 | Paula Weston | The Undercurrent | Text Publishing |
| 2018 | Ambelin Kwaymullina & Ezekiel Kwaymullina* | Catching Teller Crow | Allen & Unwin |
| 2018 | Sarah Epstein | Small Spaces | Walker Books Australia |
| 2018 | Jay Kristoff | Lifel1k3 | Allen & Unwin |
| 2018 | Emily Rodda | His Name Was Walter | HarperCollins Publishers |
| 2018 | Jo Spurier | A Curse of Ash and Ember | HarperCollins Publishers |
| 2018 | Scott Westerfeld | Impostors | Allen & Unwin |
| 2019 | Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff* | Aurora Rising | Allen & Unwin |
| 2019 | P. M. Freestone | The Darkest Bloom | Scholastic |
| 2019 | Lisa Fuller | Ghost Bird | University of Queensland Press |
| 2019 | Jay Kristoff | Dev1at3 | Allen & Unwin |
| 2019 | Juliet Marillier | The Harp of Kings | Macmillan |
| 2019 | K. S. Nikakis | I Heard the Wolf Call My Name | SOV Media |
| 2020 | Lili Wilkinson* | The Erasure Initiative | Allen & Unwin |
| 2020 | Asphyxia | Future Girl | Allen & Unwin |
| 2020 | Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff | Aurora Burning | Allen & Unwin |
| 2020 | Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner | The Other Side of the Sky | Allen & Unwin |
| 2020 | Jay Kristoff | Truel1f3 | Allen & Unwin |
| 2020 | Garth Nix | The Left-Handed Booksellers of London | Allen & Unwin |
| 2021 | Kathryn Barker* | Waking Romeo | Allen & Unwin |
| 2021 | Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff | Aurora's End | Allen & Unwin |
| 2021 | Maree Kimberley | Dirt Circus League | Text |
| 2021 | Cameron Nunn | Echo in the Memory | Walker Books Australia |
| 2021 | Gabrielle Williams | It's Not You, It's Me | Allen & Unwin |
| 2021 | Garth Nix | Terciel & Elinor | Allen & Unwin |
| 2022 | Vanessa Len | Only a Monster | Allen & Unwin |
| 2022 | Sarah Epstein | Night Lights | Fourteen Press |
| 2022 | Nikky Lee | The Rarkyn's Familiar | Parliament House Press |
| 2022 | Ann Liang | If You Could See the Sun | HQ Fiction |
| 2022 | Kate Murray | We Who Hunt the Hollow | Hardie Grant |
| 2023 | Katya de Becerra | When Ghosts Call Us Home | Macmillan |
| 2023 | Graham Akhurst | Borderland | UWA |
| 2023 | Caleb Finn | Archives of Despair | Penguin Random House Australia |
| 2023 | Melanie Kanicky | The Weaver | MidnightSun |
| 2023 | sydney khoo | The Spider and Her Demons | Penguin Random House Australia |
| 2023 | Nathan Taylor | The Non-Magical Declan Moore | Magpie Drive |
Most nominations (as of the 2022 ceremony celebrating 2021 nominees):
* Garth Nix (9)
* Scott Westerfeld (9)
* Jay Kristoff (8)
* Amie Kaufman (7)
* Isobelle Carmody (4)
* Alison Goodman (4)
* Rory Barnes (3)
* Victor Kelleher (3)
* Juliet Marillier (3)
Double wins (as of the 2022 ceremony celebrating 2021 nominees):
* Kathryn Barker (2)
* Isobelle Carmody (2)
* Garth Nix (2)
* Scott Westerfeld (2)

## High commendations

The high commendations are announced alongside the list of finalists for their respected year of eligibility. In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the book's eligibility; the ceremonies are always held the following year. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature" article.
| Year | Author | Novel | Publisher |
| 2005 | Kerry Greenwood | The Rat and the Raven | Lothian Books |
| 2005 | Penni Russon | Breathe | Random House |
| 2005 | Scott Westerfeld | Pretties | Simon & Schuster |