# Aurealis Award for Best Children's Fiction (told primarily through words)

The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and Conflux Inc 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 current 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. Ties can occur if the panel decides both entries show equal merit, however they are encouraged to choose a single winner. The judges may declare a "no award" if there is unanimous agreement that none of the nominees are worthy. 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 children's fiction (told primarily through words) category, as well as works that have received honourable mentions or have been highly commended. The best children's fiction (told primarily through words) award was created in 2001, as best children's long fiction, along with an award for children's short fiction. In 2008 the award was renamed "best children's novel" and in 2010 was renamed again to "best children's fiction (told primarily through words)". Since 2001, honourable mentions and high commendations have been awarded intermittently. Of the 11 winners, three people have won the award twice – Garth Nix, Lian Tanner and Gabrielle Wang. John Flanagan holds the record for most nominations with five.
This award has been merged with that for best children's fiction (told primarily through pictures) into an award for best children's book.

## 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. If the short story was originally published in a book with other stories rather than by itself or in a magazine, the book title is included after the publisher's name.
* Winners and joint winners  * Nominees on the shortlist
| Year | Author(s) | Work(s) | Publisher |
| 2001 | Sally Odgers* | Candle Iron | Angus & Robertson |
| 2001 | Kirsty Murray | Market Blues | Allen & Unwin |
| 2001 | Michael Stephens | Blat Magic | Angus & Robertson |
| 2002 | Gabrielle Wang* | In the Garden of Empress Cassia | Puffin Books |
| 2002 | Justin D’Ath | Astrid Spark, Fixologist | Allen & Unwin |
| 2002 | Catherine Jinks | Eglantine | Allen & Unwin |
| 2002 | Dave Luckett | Rhianna and the Dogs of Iron | Scholastic |
| 2002 | Natalie Jane Prior | Lily Quench and the Treasure of Mote Ely | Hodder Headline |
| 2003 | Garth Nix* | Mister Monday | Allen & Unwin |
| 2003 | Deborah Abela | Max Remy Superspy: The Hollywood Mission | Random House |
| 2003 | Catherine Jinks | Eustace | Allen & Unwin |
| 2003 | James Valentine | Jumpman Rule 2 | Random House |
| 2003 | Carole Wilkinson | Dragonkeeper | Black Dog Books |
| 2004 | Colin Thompson* | How to Live Forever | Random House |
| 2004 | John Flanagan | The Ruins of Gorlan | Random House |
| 2004 | Cassandra Golds | Claire de Lune | Penguin Books |
| 2004 | Sophie Masson | Snow, Fire, Sword | Random House |
| 2004 | Gabrielle Wang | The Pearl of Tiger Bay | Penguin Books |
| 2005 | Garth Nix* | Drowned Wednesday | Allen & Unwin |
| 2005 | Isobelle Carmody | Little Fur | Penguin Books |
| 2005 | Morris Gleitzman | Worm Story | Penguin Books |
| 2005 | Richard Harland | Sassycat: The Night of the Dead | Omnibus Books |
| 2006 | Mardi McConnochie* | Melissa, Queen of Evil | Pan Macmillan |
| 2006 | Isobelle Carmody | A Fox Called Sorrow | Viking Press |
| 2006 | John Flanagan | Oakleaf Bearers | Random House |
| 2006 | Nury Vittachi | Twilight in the Land of Nowhen | Allen & Unwin |
| 2006 | Kim Wilkins | The Sunken Kingdom Quartet | Omnibus Books |
| 2007 | Kate Forsyth* | The Silver Horse, The Herb of Grace, The Cat’s Eye Shell, The Lightning Bolt, The Butterfly in Amber | Pan Macmillan |
| 2007 | Isobelle Carmody | A Mystery of Wolves | Penguin Books |
| 2007 | Emily Rodda | The Key to Rondo | Omnibus Books |
| 2007 | Carole Wilkinson | Dragon Moon | Black Dog Books |
| 2008 | Emily Rodda* | The Wizard of Rondo | Omnibus Books |
| 2008 | Simon Higgins | Moonshadow | Random House |
| 2008 | Sophie Masson | Thomas Trew and the Island of Ghosts | Hodder Children's |
| 2008 | Carole Wilkinson | Dragon Dawn | Black Dog Books |
| 2008 | Sean Williams | The Changeling and The Dust Devils | Angus & Robertson |
| 2009 | Gabrielle Wang* | A Ghost in My Suitcase | Puffin Books |
| 2009 | Deborah Abela | The Remarkable Secret of Aurelie Bonhoffen | Random House |
| 2009 | Kate Constable | Cicada Summer | Allen & Unwin |
| 2009 | Jen Storer | Tensy Farlow and the Home for Mislaid Children | Viking Press |
| 2010 | Lian Tanner | The Keepers | Allen & Unwin |
| 2010 | Deborah Abela | Grimsdon | Random House |
| 2010 | John Flanagan | Halt's Peril | Random House |
| 2010 | Stephen M. Giles | The Vultures of Somerset | Pan Macmillan |
| 2010 | Jen Storer & Gus Gordon | Haggis McGregor and the Night of the Skull Moon | Penguin Books |
| 2011 | Lian Tanner* | City of Lies | Allen & Unwin |
| 2011 | John Flanagan | The Outcasts | Random House |
| 2011 | Catherine Jinks | The Paradise Trap | Allen & Unwin |
| 2011 | Thalia Kalkapsakis | "It Began With a Tingle" | Allen & Unwin (Headspinners) |
| 2011 | Andrew McGahan | The Coming of the Whirlpool | Allen & Unwin |
| 2012 | John Flanagan* | Brotherband: The Hunters | Random House Australia |
| 2012 | Pamela Freeman | Princess Betony and the Unicorn | Walker Books |
| 2012 | Emily Rodda | The Silver Door | Scholastic |
| 2012 | Leah Swann | Irina the Wolf Queen | Xoum Publishing |

## Honourable mentions and highly commended novels

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 grey background have been noted as highly commended; those with a white background have received honourable mentions.
* Highly commended  * Honourable mentions
| Year | Author | Novel | Publisher |
| 2001 | Janeen Webb | Sailing to Atlantis | Angus & Robertson |
| 2004 | James Moloney | Tunnel of Ferdinand | HarperCollins |
| 2005 | Carole Wilkinson | Garden of the Purple Dragon | Black Dog Books |
| 2005 | John Flanagan | The Icebound Land | Random House |
| 2007 | Alexandra Adornetto | The Shadow Thief | HarperCollins |