The 2020 ABIA winners were revealed in a star-studded live YouTube broadcast that has just wrapped up!
Hosted by Casey Bennetto and featuring guests such as Kitty Flanagan, Julia Gillard, Judy Nunn and more, along with a performance from musician Clare Bowditch, the ceremony honoured the best of Australia’s vibrant book industry from the past year and there were plenty of big winners.
The coveted Book of the Year award for 2020 went to Bluey: The Beach, a picture book based on an episode of the hit children’s television show. Bluey: The Beach has sold over 200,000 copies since its release last November, and it spent 4 weeks at #1 on Bookscan and 17 weeks in the top 10.
The team behind Bluey at Ludo Studio said:
‘We’re absolutely delighted to have Bluey: The Beach awarded Australian Book of the Year. Our aim was to capture the spirit, energy and heart of the series and give our audience the opportunity to read their very own Bluey stories and the talented folks at Penguin Random House have enabled us to do that. To have Bluey books embraced by readers young and old is a real delight and we are so proud of everyone involved in creating these beautiful books, for real life.’
Julie Burland, CEO of Bluey: The Beach‘s publisher Penguin Random House Australia, said:
‘We are so thrilled with this award and I want to thank Ludo Studio, BBC Studios, everyone at Penguin Random House who worked so hard to make these books a success and most of all, the booksellers, who embraced Bluey and our publishing vision from the start. Go Bluey!’
Other award recipients included Helen Garner, who was awarded the Lloyd O’Neil Hall of Fame Award, and Erica Wagner, who received the Pixie O’Harris Award. Industry awards were also given to Allen & Unwin and Magabala Books, named Publisher of the Year and Small Publisher of the Year respectively, while the Rising Star award was given to Hazel Lam of HarperCollins Australia. Indie book retailer Readings also took home the gong for Book Retailer of the Year, while the Sydney Kinokuniya store was named Bookshop of the Year.
All in all, it was an absolutely stellar event – read on for the full list of amazing 2020 ABIA winners!
ABIA Book of the Year
Bluey: The Beach by Ludo Studio, BBC Studios and Penguin Random House Australia
Buy it here
Audiobook of the Year
No Friend But the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani, narrated by: Benjamin Law, Omid Tofighian, Isobelle Carmody, Janet Galbraith, Mathilda Imlah, Geoffrey Robertson, Richard Flanagan, Sarah Dale, Thomas Keneally, Yumi Stynes
Buy it here
Biography Book of the Year
When All is Said & Done by Neale Daniher, with Warwick Green
Buy it here
Book of the Year for Older Children (ages 13+)
Welcome To Your Period by Yumi Stynes and Dr Melissa Kang
Buy it here
Book of the Year for Younger Children (ages 7-12)
The 117-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
Buy it here
Children’s Picture Book of the Year (ages 0-6)
Bluey: The Beach by Ludo Studio, BBC Studios and Penguin Random House Australia
Buy it here
General Fiction Book of the Year
Bruny by Heather Rose
Buy it here
General Non-fiction Book of the Year
488 Rules for Life by Kitty Flanagan
Buy it here
Illustrated Book of the Year
The Whole Fish Cookbook by Josh Niland
Buy it here
International Book of the Year
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Buy it here
Literary Fiction Book of the Year
The Weekend by Charlotte Wood
Buy it here
Small Publishers’ Adult Book of the Year
Sand Talk by Tyson Yunkaporta
Buy it here
Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year
Love Your Body by Jessica Sanders & Carol Rossetti (Illustrator)
Buy it here
The Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year
Your Own Kind of Girl by Clare Bowditch
Buy it here
Congratulations to all of the 2020 ABIA winners!
Find out more about the ABIAs here.
About the Contributor
Olivia Fricot
Olivia Fricot (she/her) is Booktopia's Senior Content Producer and editor of the Booktopian blog. She has too many plants and not enough bookshelves, and you can usually find her reading, baking, or talking to said plants. She is pro-Oxford comma.
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The 2020 ABIAs longlist is here!
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