In 2024, to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the award’s inception, IBBY Australia Committee announces a change, in that two biennial awards will be presented – one to an author and one to an illustrator.
In 1994, founding president of IBBY Australia, Ena Noël OAM (1910–2003), established her own biennial prize – the Ena Noël Award – to encourage young, emerging writers and illustrators for young people. The name not only honours Ena Noël’s contributions, but makes it apparent that she wished to use her reputation to champion support for emerging Australian creators. The award is a silver medallion designed by the first winner of the award, the esteemed artist, Arone Raymond Meeks (1957–2021).
The IBBY Australia Ena Noël Award (Encouragement Award for Children’s Literature) has been presented from 1994 to 2022 to either a young developing Australian writer or illustrator.
Recipients of Ena Noël Award
2024
2024
2024
2022
2020
2018
2016
2014
2012
2010
2008
2006
2004
Writer
Alyssa Brugman
Walking Naked
2002
2000
1998
1997
Illustrator
Steven Woolman
Body of Work
1996
1994
Arone Raymond Meeks, a Kuku Midigi man, was presented with the inaugural IBBY Australia Encouragement Award for Children’s Literature, for ENORA and the black crane.
We celebrate Meeks’ vast talents with every presentation of the silver medallion he designed for the Ena Noël Award
Criteria
- Only books by Australian creators published in the two years prior to the particular closing date (between 1 July and 30 June) can be nominated by the publishers for the Ena Noël award.
- The nominated creator must be under the age of 35 at the time the title (or titles) for which they are nominated was published. Any nominated author or illustrator has to be deemed by the judges to be worthy of encouragement.
- Books entered must have been published in print form in Australia
List of award winners:
- 2022 Gary Lonesborough for The Boy from the Mish
- 2020 Jack Heath for 500 Minutes of Danger
- 2018 Will Kostakis for The Sidekicks
- 2016 Kate Gordon for Writing Clementine
- 2014 Melissa Keil for Life in Outer Space
- 2012 Amy Barker for Omega Park
- 2010 Lili Wilkinson for Scatterheart
- 2008 Markus Zusak for The Book Thief
- 2006 Anthony Eaton for Fireshadow and The girl in the cave
- 2004 Alyssa Brugman for Walking Naked
- 2002 Beth Norling for Cherryblossom and the Golden Bear (2000)
- 2000 Catherine Jinks for Piggy in the Middle (1998)
- 1998 Tohby Riddle for The Tip at the End of the Street (1996)
- 1997 Steve Woolman for his body of work
- 1996 Sonya Hartnett for Wilful Blue (1994)
- 1994 Arone Raymond Meeks for Enora and the Black Crane (1991)
IBBY Australia 
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