.png)
.webp)
Quirky Kid’s Basecamp® won the Educational Initiatives Award at the 2018 London Book Fair International Excellence Awards, recognising the program’s innovative approach to helping children understand and manage anxiety.
The award was announced in London on 10 April 2018. The London Book Fair named Quirky Kid as the winner of the Educational Initiatives Award for Basecamp®, following an international shortlist.
Basecamp® had also been shortlisted in the Educational Learning Resources category, giving the program recognition across two education-focused award categories that year.
Recognising a different approach to anxiety support
Basecamp® was developed by Quirky Kid as a psychologist-informed anxiety program that combines cognitive behavioural principles with stories, illustrations, activities and practical exercises for children.
Set in a fictional Australian national park, the program turns anxiety-management skills into an adventure. Children work through structured activities that help them recognise anxious responses, understand unhelpful thinking, practise coping strategies and gradually approach situations they may otherwise avoid.
In announcing the award, the London Book Fair judges highlighted the value of Basecamp® as an engaging, child-centred resource designed to support resilience in children and families.
International recognition for Quirky Kid
The London Book Fair International Excellence Awards recognise organisations and initiatives contributing to publishing and education around the world. In 2018, winners came from countries across Europe, Asia, North America and Australia.
Independent Australian publishing coverage also recognised the achievement. Books+Publishing reported that Quirky Kid had won the Educational Initiatives Award for Basecamp® after being selected from a shortlist of three.
The recognition was significant for Quirky Kid because Basecamp® sits at the intersection of several parts of the organisation’s work: child psychology, publishing, education and the development of practical resources that can be used beyond the consulting room.
The award also came during a period of broader recognition for Basecamp®. In the same year, the program was shortlisted in the Best Designed Educational Primary/Secondary Book category of the Australian Book Design Awards.
Building on the award
Basecamp® has continued to evolve since the 2018 award and remains part of Quirky Kid’s suite of psychologist-developed programs for children, families, schools and clinics.
Today, Basecamp® is delivered through Quirky Kid programs and can also be licensed by schools and psychology clinics, with facilitator training, implementation guidance and program resources.
The London Book Fair award remains an important milestone in Quirky Kid’s publishing history and an early international recognition of the organisation’s approach to combining psychology with engaging educational design.
