.png)
.webp)
Two Quirky Kid programs were shortlisted in the 2016 London Book Fair International Excellence Awards, giving the Australian psychology publisher international recognition across two education categories.
The shortlist was announced on 7 March 2016 by the London Book Fair and the UK Publishers Association.
The Best of Friends® was shortlisted for the Educational Initiatives Award, while Power Up! was shortlisted for the Educational Learning Resources Award.
The Publishers Association’s official shortlist announcement records Australia among the most represented countries in that year’s International Excellence Awards.
International recognition for Australian-developed programs
The two nominations recognised different parts of Quirky Kid’s publishing work. The Best of Friends® was developed as a structured social and emotional learning program, while Power Up! applies performance psychology principles to help young people develop skills for sport, performance and other high-pressure settings.
Having two programs shortlisted in separate categories was an important early international milestone for Quirky Kid’s publishing arm and demonstrated that psychology resources developed in Australia could compete within a broader global education and publishing market.
Building a publishing track record
The London recognition came during a strong period for Quirky Kid’s educational publishing work.
Later in 2016, The Best of Friends® won the Australian Book Industry Innovation Award and was shortlisted by Speech Pathology Australia.
Quirky Kid returned to the London Book Fair awards in 2018, when Basecamp® was shortlisted in two categories and went on to win the Educational Initiatives Award.
A foundation for later international recognition
The 2016 double shortlist was one of the first major signals that Quirky Kid’s combination of psychology, education, illustration and publishing could attract attention beyond Australia.
It remains an important part of the organisation’s publishing history and the wider development of its psychologist-informed programs for children, families, schools and professionals.
