Pitch It! Competition 2026 Longlists Celebrate 78 Children’s Book Projects

The Pitch It! Competition 2026 longlists bring 78 children’s book projects into view across picture books, non-fiction picture books and junior fiction/middle grade. The range of titles points to a lively field of ideas, from the playful and mysterious to stories that invite readers to look closely at the world around them. Shortlists are expected soon.

For writers, a longlist is a useful sign that a pitch has made an impression in a crowded group. For readers and publishing professionals, the lists offer a glimpse of the concepts being developed by children’s writers, even though the titles alone don’t reveal each project’s full premise or likely readership. The competition says its judges considered each pitch’s hook, voice, marketability and “WOW-factor.”

Picture book entries were judged by Aleesah Darlison, Jennifer Kean and Katrina Germein. Kate Gordon and David Lawrence judged the junior fiction/middle grade category. The non-fiction picture book category was also judged by Darlison, Kean and Germein.

Picture book longlist

The picture book category has 31 entries. Its titles range from the brisk and comic, such as Ooh Look, a Stick! and SNORE!, to more reflective-sounding invitations like Where Do Moments Hide? and The Park at the Top of the Hill. Those impressions come from the titles alone; the pitches will determine how each idea takes shape on the page.

• A Knock at the Door — M. Gibbs
• A World Away — S. Brown
• CHAOS — S. Snoad
• Cheer Crab — A. Jobson
• Circle Goes to Square School — A. Zurbrugg
• Dirty Gertie — R. Ralfe
• Elliot is NOT a Monster — A. Toniolo
• Ernie’s Sneeze — O. Tonkin
• How to Mail a Hug — R. Watson
• HullabaLouie — F. O’Sullivan
• Ivy Striving — K.S. Wallace
• Making a Fuss — A. Toniolo
• Mason Boone, Teeth Tycoon — E. Karmakar
• Ooh Look, a Stick! — E. Frost
• Our Sanctuary — K. Johnson
• Rainy the Pink-Nosed Reindeer — S. Dodd
• SNORE! — M. Fletcher
• Style Spider — B. Morgan
• That’s MY Side! — A. Freund
• The Bestest Class Party — A. Adeney
• The Dreamgoat’s Keep — R. Ralfe
• The Galloping, Glitzy Parade — M. McGuinness
• The Gran-Packed Birthday — A. Liesegang
• The Great Dino Debate — K. Doyle
• The King of the Bush — K. Handley
• The One to be Done — R. Clayton
• The Park at the Top of the Hill — M. Rowe
• We Are the Trees — E. Frost
• When Tarik Plays His Violin — K. Gittins
• Where Do Moments Hide? — A. Greenwood
• Where Do Rainbows Go? — D. Viera
• Wonky — C. Pirrone

Non-fiction picture book longlist

Twenty-two projects appear in non-fiction picture books. The titles suggest varied points of entry into real-world subjects: Let’s Count Kookaburras signals a counting angle, while Glow in the Dark – An Underwater Spectacle and Who on Earth Are You? An Astonishing Animal Alphabet — From Agatha to Zsa Zsa make their intended sense of discovery clear. The list also includes titles focused on place, nature and everyday life.

• A Backyard for Everyone — K. Plomer
• Cuddlefish — S. Hancy
• Dark Skies — M. Wilson
• Don’t Eat Your Brother! — J. Galatola
• Faraway from Torres Strait — J. Catalano
• Forest Donkey — P. Smith
• Glow — L. Kovacevic
• Glow in the Dark – An Underwater Spectacle — M. Gibbs
• Ladybird Rain — S. Barton
• Let’s Count Kookaburras — K. Lee
• Nautilus — M. Rowe
• Paddy Vidgen: The Little Soldier — R. Sheraton
• Pillar Box Wonder — K. Hendriks
• Something Bit Me! — H. Gallagher
• Sunshine Child — A. Donnelly
• The Helping Tree Hollow — K. Plomer
• The Little Lunchbox with a Big Footprint — D. Breen
• There is a Home in This House/There is a House in This Home — C. Ord
• Unbe-leaf-able Creatures — M. Elk
• What Came First? — A. Toniolo
• Who on Earth Are You? An Astonishing Animal Alphabet — From Agatha to Zsa Zsa — S. O’Kelly
• Zoom In, Zoom Out — P. O’Loughlin

Junior fiction and middle grade longlist

The junior fiction/middle grade list contains 25 projects. Several titles promise imaginative settings or unusual companions, including Spectra and the Whisperwick Hotel, Robodog Rules and Revenge of the Robot Teachers. Others foreground school, sport, music and community, offering a broad set of starting points for stories aimed at young readers.

• Alvina Moonglade: Return to Kindroth — J. Stampone
• Double Shift — Z. Crowest
• Elliot Glum and the Rooster of Doom — J. Lou
• Fire Garden — C. Ord
• Holly and the Hum — P. Pastore
• Hoofbeat Hill Riding School — F. White
• Jack Spriggins and the Silver Bells — G. Ballinger
• Keef Goes to Market — B. Telfer
• Kiara in Korea – KPOP Queen — M. Hunter
• Lions on the Loose — E. Macintosh
• Lola Lucksford and the Marking — K. Temple
• Maren of Curlew Bay — K. Erler
• Marlo for the Win — A. Adeney
• Orla — J. Elizabeth
• Patrick Green is a Team Player — R. Koch
• Princess Honey — K. Tyrrell
• Revenge of the Robot Teachers — J. Kaur
• Robodog Rules — R. Fung
• Saturday Market Kids: The Missing Cake Stall — S. Barton
• Scrap — M. Wilson
• Spectra and the Whisperwick Hotel — B. Telfer
• The Cursed Hands of Sadie Wright — G. Page
• The NPC Trial — G. Page
• The Booksmith — G. Taylor
• This is Serious — A. Weller

The longlists recognize the pitches that will advance to the next stage; they don’t yet establish which projects will be selected for the shortlists. The next announcement will bring that decision into focus. Competition details, including guidelines and prizes, are available on the Pitch It! Competition page, and the qualifying entries can also be viewed online.