Every year we select a small group of teens to help us whittle down our Inky Awards longlist to a final shortlist. Once selected, this shortlist will be voted on by teens from around Australia to select our Gold and Silver Inky Awarded titles.

This year we have a record nine judges (yes, the applications were so good we took more on than ever!) who will be reading all twenty books.

Without further ado, meet our 2018 Inky Awards judges:

Fahma, 13 from Dandenong High School in Victoria

Sophie, 15 from Taroona High School in Tasmania

Luca, 12 from Metropolitan Victoria

Sylvia, 15 from Wilderness School in South Australia

Thomas, 16 from Padua College in Queensland

Alina, 15 from John Therry Catholic High School New South Wales

Charlotte, 14 from Katoomba High School in New South Wales

Siyan, 14 from St Margaret’s School in Victoria

Thi, 15 from Loreto Mandeville Hall in Victoria

This year we have also added a team of shadow judges to our Inky Awards. These judges will read some of the longlisted books and publish their thoughts about the titles in contention for the shortlist here on Inside a Dog. We’re super excited to have them on board! And who are they?

Introducing 2018 shadow judges Jade (ACT), Rexrooster (NSW), Catherine (NSW), Eriinfisher (QLD), Orora (SA), Bookboy (Vic), Wurrook (Vic), Kithepenguin (Vic), Serendepity (Vic), Indiaaqua (WA) and Paradox (WA). We’ll have a bit more of an intro of them soon.

Best of luck to our judges with the monumental task that lays ahead of them. For a reminder of the books they will be reading, check out the 2018 Inky Awards longlist.