First off, a big, big note of thanks to all the publishers who submitted their titles for the award.
Our jury members, comprising an experienced school educator; facilitators who use literature to foster a love for theatre in school children; and a school founder, enjoyed reading the large variety of books that were shortlisted for the awards.
Having taken each of their opinions into account, here are the winners of the Best of Indian Children’s Writing (BICW) – Contemporary Awards 2019 segregated by level. To know more about our levelling process, read here.
| Levels | Theme | Title | Publisher |
| 1 | FRIENDS | Three Friends | Eklavya |
| 1 | FOOD | Frank Goes to the Market | Ms Moochie Books |
| 1 | LOVE | I Love You More | Ms Moochie Books |
| 2 | ANIMAL STORIES | The Pottering Pig | Pratham Books |
| 2 | FAMILY | The Very Wiggly Tooth | Pratham Books |
| 2 | FUN | Fooled You! | Scholastic |
| 2 | SEASONS | Big Rain | Tulika Publishers |
| 3 | ANIMAL STORIES | The Hundred and Thirty Seventh Leg | Jyotsna Prakashan |
| 3 | FRIENDSHIP | A Home of Our Own | Tulika Publishers |
| 3 | LOST AND FOUND | Lunch-Friends | Tota Books |
| 3 | FANTASY | Satya’s Boat | Tulika Publishers |
| 3 | LEARNING A LESSON | Thatha at School | Pickle Yolk Books |
| 4 | FUN | A Book for Puchku | Pratham Books |
| 4 | S.T.E.A.M | The Sea In A Bucket | Eklavya |
| 4 | HEROISM | Jadav and the Tree-Place | Pratham Books |
| 4 | GRANDPARENT TALES | Nani’s Walk to The Park | Pratham Books |
| 5 | BEATING THE ODDS | Maccher Jhol | Pickle Yolk Books |
| 5 | SITES AND LIVES – Real Stories of People and Places | Kali Wants to Dance | Pratham Books |
| 5 | FOLK TALES | The Enduring Ark | Tara Books |
| 5 | MISCHIEF | The Adventures of Mooli | Scholastic |
| 5 | ADVENTURE | The Forbidden Forest | Tulika Publishers |
| 6 | FRIENDSHIP | Camp Sweets: Monster Fun at Summer Camp | Talking Cub |
| 6 | CURIOSITY | Mira the Detective | Duckbill Books |
| 6 | ADVENTURE | Mother Steals a Bicycle and Other Stories | Tara Books |
| 6 | COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS | APJ Abdul Kalam: One Man, Many Missions | Campfire Books |
| 6 | WIT AND WISDOM | The Boy With Two Grandfathers | Tulika Publishers |
| 7 | Environmental Tales | The Adventures of Padma and the Blue Dinosaur | HarperCollins Children’s Books |
| 7 | Eerie World | The Taxi Ride and Other Spooky Stories | Ms Moochie Books |
| 7 | School Stories | Apoorva’s Fat Diary | Mango Books |
| 7 | Standing Out | Manya Learns to Roar | Duckbill Books |
The BICW – Contemporary Award 2019 aims to recognise and reward the best books for children in the age group of 6 to 12 years from publishers across the country.
Apart from the joy that comes with the recognition of good effort and great art, the BICW Award comes with a minimum guarantee purchase of the winning titles (anywhere between 200 to 2000 copies) which will, in turn, be distributed to schools across South India.
Our congratulations to all the winners!
