# Aurealis Award for Best Illustrated Book or Graphic Novel

The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and WASFF to published works in order 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 identified the award as an honour to be taken seriously.
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. 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 illustrated book or graphic novel category. The award for best illustrated book or graphic novel was first awarded in 2008 along with two other categories; best anthology and best book or collection to replace the discontinued Golden Aurealis awards. Shaun Tan has won the award three times, while Justin Randall, Tom Taylor and James Brouwer have won it twice. Tan also holds the record for most nominations, having received four nominations.

## Winners and nominees

In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the book or novel'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, while those with a white background are the nominees on the short-list.
* Winners and joint winners  * Nominees on the shortlist
| Year | Author(s) | Illustrated book or graphic novel | Publisher |
| 2008 | Shaun Tan* | Tales from Outer Suburbia | Allen & Unwin |
| 2008 | Steve Hunt & David Richardson | The Cloudchasers | ABC Books |
| 2008 | Colin Thompson | The Floods Family Files | Random House |
| 2008 | Julie Watts | The Art of Graeme Base | Viking Press |
| 2009 | Nathan Jurevicius* | Scarygirl | Allen & Unwin |
| 2009 | Bruce Mutard | The Silence | Allen & Unwin |
| 2009 | Emily Rodda & Marc McBride | Secrets of Deltora | Scholastic |
| 2009 | Madeleine Rosca | Hollow Fields | Seven Seas Entertainment |
| 2010 | Justin Randall* | Changing Ways | Gestalt Publishing |
| 2010 | Nicki Greenberg | Shakespeare's Hamlet | Allen & Unwin |
| 2010 | Jason Paulos et al. | EEEK!: Weird Tales of Suspense | Black House Comics |
| 2010 | Jonathan Walker & Dan Hallett | Five Wounds: An Illustrated Novel | Black House Comics |
| 2010 | Rocky Wood & Glenn Chadbourne | Horrors: Great Stories of Fear and Their Creators | McFarlane & Co |
| 2011 | Mirranda Burton* (tie) | Hidden | Black Pepper Publishing |
| 2011 | Tom Taylor & James Brouwer (illustrator)* (tie) | The Deep: Here Be Dragons | Gestalt Publishing |
| 2011 | Andrew Constant, Joh James (illustrator), Nicola Scott (illustrator), Emily Smith (illustrator) | Torn | Gestalt Publishing |
| 2011 | Mozchops | Salsa Invertebraxa | Pecksniff Press |
| 2011 | Christian Read & Michael Maier (illustrator) | The Eldritch Kid: Whiskey and Hate | Gestalt Publishing |
| 2012 | Pat Grant* | Blue | Giromondo Publishing |
| 2012 | Tim Molloy | It Shines and Shakes and Laughs | Milk Shadow Books |
| 2012 | Justin Randall | Changing Ways 2 | Gestalt Publishing |
| 2013 | Jackie Ryan* (tie) | Burger Force | Jackie Ryan |
| 2013 | Tom Taylor & James Brouwer* (tie) | The Deep, Vol. 2: The Vanishing Island | Gestalt Publishing |
| 2013 | Steve Carter & Antoinette Rydyr | Savage Bitch | Scar Studios |
| 2013 | Tim Molloy | Mr Unpronounceable Adventures | Milk Shadow Books |
| 2013 | Shane W. Smith | Peaceful Tomorrows Volume Two | Zetabella Publications |
| 2014 | Tim Molloy* | Mr Unpronounceable and the Sect of the Bleeding Eye | Milk Shadow Books |
| 2014 | Jason Franks & Paul Abstruse | Left Hand Path #1 | Winter City Productions |
| 2014 | Jase Harper | Awkwood | Milk Shadow Books |
| 2014 | Kathleen Jennings | "A Small Wild Magic" | Candlewick Press (Monstrous Affections) |
| 2014 | Shane Smith | The Game | Deeper Meaning Publishing |
| 2015 | Shaun Tan* | The Singing Bones | Allen & Unwin |
| 2015 | Gary Chaloner, Ben Templesmith and Ashley Wood | The Undertaker Morton Stone Vol.1 | Gestalt Publishing |
| 2015 | Jamie Clenett | The Diemenois | Hunter Publishers |
| 2015 | Christian Read | Unmasked Vol.1: Going Straight is No Way to Die | Gestalt Publishing |
| 2015 | (various authors) | Fly the Colour Fantastica | Veriko Operative |
| 2016 | Ryan K. Lindsay* | Negative Space | Dark HorseComics |
| 2016 | Lance Balchin | Mechanica | The Five Mile Press |
| 2016 | James Foley | Brobot | Fremantle Press |
| 2016 | Josh Vann | The Spider King | (self-published) |
| 2017 | Justin Randall* | Changing Ways 3 | Gestalt Publishing |
| 2017 | Mike Barry | Action Tank | Mike Barry Was Here |
| 2017 | James Foley | Dungzilla | Fremantle Press |
| 2017 | Craig Phillips | Giants, Trolls, Witches, Beasts | Allen & Unwin |
| 2017 | Campbell Whyte | Home Time | Penguin Random House Australia |
| 2017 | Margo Lanagan (writer) & Rovina Cai (illustrator) | Tintinnabula | Little Hare |
| 2018 | Shaun Tan* | Tales from the Inner City | Allen & Unwin |
| 2018 | Rob O'Connor | Deathship Jenny | (self-published) |
| 2018 | Shaun Tan | Cicada | Hachette Australia |
| 2019 | Greg Rucka* (writer) & Nicola Scott* (illustrator) | Black Magick | Image Comics |
| 2019 | Norm Harper & Louie Joyce | Haphaven | Lion Forge |
| 2019 | Tohby Riddle | Yahoo Creek | Allen & Unwin |
| 2019 | Krys Saclier | Super Nova | Ford Street |
| 2019 | Renee Treml | Sherlock Bones and the Natural History Mystery | Allen & Unwin |
| 2020 | Chris Gooch* | Under-Earth | Top Shelf |
| 2020 | Mike Barry | Action Tank: Book 2 | Mike Barry Was Here |
| 2020 | Pat Grant | The Grot | Top Shelf / IDW |
| 2020 | Matt Stanton | The Odds | ABC Books |
| 2021 | Zana Fraillon* (writer) & Phil Lesnie* (illustrator) | The Curiosities | Hachette Australia |
| 2021 | Jason Pamment | Treasure in the Lake | Allen & Unwin |
| 2021 | Ben Slabak (writer) & Edoardo Natalini (illustrator) | Mechanix | Cloud 9 |
| 2021 | Matthew Soall (writer) & Ignacio Di Meglio (illustrator) | Killeroo: Semper Fidelis | OzComics |
| 2022 | Matt Ottley | The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness | Dirt Lane |
| 2022 | Scott Wilson, Katie Houghton-Ward & Justin Randall | Dark Heart #1 | Gesalt |
| 2022 | Tom Taylor & Jon Sommariva | Neverlanders | Penguin Random House |
| 2022 | David Hazan | Nottingham Vol. 2: A King's Ransom | Mad Cave |
| 2023 | Jason Pamment | Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures | Allen and Unwin |
| 2023 | Jason Franks & Tam Morris | Frankenstein Monstrance Preview #1 | IPI Comics |
| 2023 | Christof Bogacs & Beck Kubrick | MEAT4BURGERS | (self-published) |
| 2023 | David Hazan & Cecilia Lo Valvo | Monomyth | Mad Cave |