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Quirky Kid won the 2016 Australian Book Industry Innovation Award for The Best of Friends®, recognising the organisation’s work in bringing psychology, publishing and social and emotional learning together in one engaging program.
The Australian Book Industry Awards, known as the ABIAs, celebrate achievement across Australian publishing. At the 2016 awards, Quirky Kid was named the winner of the Book Industry Innovation Award, alongside major publishers, booksellers, authors and industry organisations recognised across the evening.
The award related to The Best of Friends®, Quirky Kid’s psychologist-developed social and emotional learning program for children. The program combines structured learning with stories, illustrations, interactive activities and facilitator support to help children practise friendship, communication and emotional skills.
Where psychology and publishing meet
The Best of Friends® was developed to make evidence-informed social and emotional learning practical and engaging for children, while also giving schools, clinics and facilitators a structured resource they could use consistently.
The program brought together Quirky Kid’s clinical experience with Australian writing, illustration and design. Its workbook and supporting materials were created not simply as worksheets, but as a substantial child-facing resource designed to invite participation, discussion and practice.
National recognition for Quirky Kid
Winning the ABIA Innovation Award placed Quirky Kid among a diverse group of organisations recognised by the Australian book industry in 2016. Independent reporting from both Readings and Books+Publishing lists Quirky Kid as the 2016 innovation award winner.
The recognition was particularly significant for a psychology organisation operating at the intersection of mental health, education and publishing. It reinforced Quirky Kid’s approach of developing therapeutic and educational resources that are clinically informed, visually engaging and designed for use beyond the consulting room.
Building on the award
The Best of Friends® has continued to develop since the 2016 award. The program has been independently evaluated through the University of Wollongong and is now used by schools and psychology clinics across Australia.
The ABIA recognition remains an important milestone in Quirky Kid’s publishing history and in the development of its broader suite of child psychology programs and resources.
