The 2016 Inky Awards shortlist covers

The 2016 Inky Awards shortlist covers

The Centre for Youth Literature at State Library Victoria has announced the shortlist for the 2016 Inky Awards for young adult literature today, celebrating a decade of the national teen choice prize.

The Inky Awards were established in 2007 as Australia’s first, and still only, national teen choice awards for young adult literature.

The shortlist includes five Australian and five international youth literature books. The Australian novelists are eligible for the Gold Inky Award and $2,000 prize money. International books are eligible for the Silver Inky Award.

The shortlist was selected from a longlist of 20 novels by a panel of seven teen judges from across Australia. The judges assessed the quality of the storyline, the authentic nature of the characters and the tone of the dialogue in each book.

Public voting is now open on the State Library’s youth literature website insideadog.com.au. The books with the most votes by 18 September will win.

Now in its tenth year, the Inky Awards give young people an opportunity to celebrate the books that speak to them. Unlike book prizes chosen by committee, the Inky Awards let the readers be the judge, and recognises that peer recommendations are a powerful tool for encouraging young people to read.

Centre for Youth Literature Program Coordinator Adele Walsh says the panel of teens were articulate, thoughtful and passionate when it came to making their decisions. “Some of the titles were hotly contested, and it was moving to be able to facilitate such intelligent discussion of books.”

Winners of the 2016 Inky Awards will be announced at State Library Victoria, 5pm 4 October 2016.

The 2016 Inky Awards shortlist:

Gold Inky Award Shortlist

  • The flywheel by Erin Gough (Hardie Grant Egmont)
  • Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (Allen and Unwin)
  • Sister heart by Sally Morgan (Fremantle Press)
  • Green Valentine by Lili Wilkinson (Allen and Unwin)
  • Cloudwish by Fiona Wood (PanMacmillan)

Silver Inky Award Shortlist

  • Simon vs the Homo Sapiens agenda by Becky Albertalli (Penguin Random House)
  • Ill give you the sun by Jandy Nelson (Walker Books)
  • The rest of us just live here by Patrick Ness (Walker Books)
  • The marvels by Brian Selznick (Scholastic)
  • Made you up by Francesca Zappia (HarperCollins)

The Centre for Youth Literature at State Library Victoria connects Australia’s young people with literature, inspiring young adults to engage with books, stories, writing and ideas.

insideadog.com.au is Australia’s best-loved website for books and reading for young people. Insideadog is a project of the Centre for Youth Literature and is proudly supported by the Australia Council and the State Government of Victoria.

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