The Australian Children's Laureate is a role appointed to an Australian children's author and/or illustrator with the purpose of promoting the power of reading to children. It is a two-year role and was inaugurated in 2011, for the 2012-2013 period. The inaugural appointment was a dual one, with Alison Lester and Boori Monty Pryor being announced as joint Australian Children's Laureates. The Australian Children's Laureate was inspired by similar programs in the UK, the Children's Laureate instituted in 1999, and the USA, the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature instituted in 2008. These programs also award two-year appointments.
Background
The Australian Children's Laureate program was initiated by the Australian Children's Literature Alliance (ACLA) which was established in 2008 with the prime purpose of establishing the Australian Children's Laureate role. ACLA is an independent not-for-profit organisation comprising authors, publishers, booksellers, librarians, teachers and representatives from arts bodies.
ACLA defines the role of the laureate as being to "promote the transformational power of reading, creativity and story in the lives of young Australians, while acting as a national and international ambassador for Australian children’s literature." The laureates receive a stipend to carry out their role, which includes travelling to every state and territory in Australia, at least once, during the course of their appointment.