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'Always Was, Always Will Be' wins CBCA Book of the Year Award

Fri, Aug 22, 2025

Congratulations to Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson, whose book Always Was, Always Will Be has been awarded the 2025 Children's Book of the Year Award: Eve Pownall Award for Information Books.

Always Was, Always Will Be (2024) takes a closer look at some of the iconic First Peoples protest movements of the last 200 years, celebrating the strength, wisdom, and bravery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people defending their land and asserting their right to self-determination through history.
In response to receiving the award, Aunty Fay and Sue said:
"Fay and I are so proud Always Was, Always Will Be, and delighted it has won the CBCA Eve Pownall award. It is a truth telling book that highlights and celebrates the courage and determination of Elders who worked tirelessly for a better life for First Nations people."
Magabala Editor Dr Arlie Alizzi said:
"Editing Always Was, Always Will Be was such a privilege. To see it recognised with the Eve Pownall Award is a beautiful acknowledgement not only of the authors' heart and courage, but also of the iconic First Nations protest movements it so powerfully records.”
About the creators

Aunty Fay Muir is a senior Boon Wurrung and Wamba Wamba Elder, First Nations community leader and Koori Court Elder. She is a Language Specialist, working as a prison educator in First Nations languages and is a creative language revival consultant and collaborator.

Award-winning Australian author Sue Lawson writes books for children and young adults. Her books include The Biscuit Maker, illustrated by Liz Anelli and young adult novels Freedom Ride, shortlisted for the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year and the NSW and WA Premier’s Literary Awards, and Pan’s Whisper, which won the Australian Family Therapist Award and was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award.

About the award

The Children's Book of the Year Award: Eve Pownall Award for Information Books was first presented in 1988, when the award was financed by Eve Pownall's family. Since 1993 it has been awarded annually by the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA).

See the other Children's Book of the Year Award winners here.