The asla danz awards

Diversity in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand Children's Book Award

ASLA is proud to have partnered with best-selling and award-winning children's author Kate Foster in supporting the ASLA Diversity in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand Children’s Book Awards.

Founded by Kate in 2024, the DANZ Awards celebrate diverse children’s fiction published in Australia and New Zealand, honouring books that challenge stereotypes, push boundaries, and highlight diverse and marginalised communities, including those representing disability, culture, LGBTQI+, race and religion. 

The ASLA DANZ Awards aim to encourage inclusivity and spotlight authentic representation, providing marginalised voices with recognition and support. They also aims to influence book-buyers and educators to prioritise such works. The awards spotlight the wonderful books which provide mirrors, windows and sliding doors into different lives, and build empathy and understanding of people from all walks of life. 

Message from the President of ASLA, Martha Itzcovitz

 The ASLA DANZ Awards not only recognise fiction that celebrates diverse voices and experiences: the longlist is a valuable curation tool for school libraries, teachers, booksellers and parents. It is a comprehensive listing of the books that not only have sensitive and accurate representation of marginalised people and groups, they are books that have, most importantly, been given a seal of approval by children themselves 