CBCA Sun Project: Shadow Judging - Young voices welcome here

Young voices are welcome here

Read what the Shadow Judges are saying ...

The home of the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Shadow Judging Program.

What books would you like to judge?

Older Readers

Younger Readers

Early Childhood

Picture Books

Eve Pownall

Young voices are welcome here

The CBCA Book of the Year Awards connect young people to great literature. During CBCA Book Week we celebrate reading for pleasure and applaud our awarded books.

Our Sun Project: Shadow Judging is an exciting addition to our annual calendar. We invite young voices from groups across Australia to join the conversation about our annual Shortlist and choose their own winners. They will be announced at the end of CBCA Book Week at the first ever Shadowers’ Choice Awards (26 August).

Creating a group of ‘shadowers’ is a powerful way to connect young readers with the shortlisted books in a safe space where their opinions and responses can be heard.

Interested adults, classroom teachers, teacher librarians and public librarians are invited to take on the role of group facilitators to support these young voices in this exciting project.

Let’s get the conversation <i>started.</i>

Let’s get the conversation started.

Read what the Shadow Judges are saying …

What you are saying

The teachers of the students involved have commented on a changed perception of reading, and its purpose, amongst the students. The students also have become more confident, seeing themselves as skilled readers.

Testimonials from the 2020-21 Trials

The students gained so much from the program! They read more widely than they usually would have, exploring books outside of their usual genres. They are now better equipped to analyse texts and discovered that a text can be responded to in multiple ways.

Testimonials from the 2020-21 Trials

The chance to participate in a real judging was exciting for all. The students enjoyed the challenge. It was lovely to have this during our lockdown, to continue with the goal of reading the shortlist books was special for them:)

Testimonials from the 2020-21 Trials

The chance to participate in a real judging was exciting for all. The students enjoyed the challenge. It was lovely to have this during our lockdown, to continue with the goal of reading the shortlist books was special for them:)

Testimonials from the 2020-21 Trials

Our students loved the responsibility of being a judge and seemed to put a lot of effort into making their responses. I was very impressed at their level of understanding of the books and the depth of their responses. They were very enthusiastic and highly motivated (despite lockdown).

Testimonials from the 2020-21 Trials

The students offered thoughtful responses to the shortlisted titles. They connected on many levels and were actively engaged, some already having their own copies of the books. The students were excited to have their opinions and comments sought and to have their voices heard as official Shadow Judges.

Testimonials from the 2020-21 Trials

Students were able to invest in more time looking at the themes in picture story books. They compared and contrasted and were able to appreciate why the books were designed around the themes. Students invested in deep discussion and were able to think about their opinions and be challenged with their responses.

Testimonials from the 2020-21 Trials

It was a delight to see the students interact and respectfully analyse their responses to the different texts. Their conversations were insightful and they drew on each other’s perspectives. As an independent activity, they had to collaborate as a team and manage their time and the overall project.

Testimonials from the 2020-21 Trials

What is the Sun Project

A vibrant network of young readers, from emerging to young adult, will dive deeply into our Shortlist, express their opinions and share their responses as judges ‘shadowing’ our own CBCA judges. They will use the CBCA Book of the Year Awards criteria to reflect on literary values and to champion their choices. Within their groups they will collaborate and develop their own creative response to a chosen book then share this with the wider community.

Each group will focus on one of five categories: Older Readers, Younger Readers, Early Childhood, Picture Book, or the Eve Pownall Information Book. Every group, and their facilitator, will be supported by a mentor from their state-based CBCA branch. Registrations close for 2022 on June 1.

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What is Shadow Judging?

Our Shadow Judging program is an exciting addition to our annual calendar. We are inviting young voices from across Australia to join the conversation about the books on our annual Shortlist and choose their winners to be announced at the end of CBCA Book Week at their own Shadowers’ Choice Awards.

Thank you to our supporters