Lively EPAAs celebrate educational and scholarly publishers
September 9, 2020
Like so many other awards this year, the 2020 Educational Publishing Awards Australia (EPAAs) were announced via a free digital event on Thursday 3 September.
Speaking from Sydney, Australian Publishers Association (APA) CEO Michael Gordon-Smith said: “These awards celebrate excellence in the work of educational and scholarly publishers, and like so much else – including educational and scholarly work – they’re still happening, but happening online.”
“If you’re an educator or an educational publisher, congratulations for just helping people to keep on learning this year.”
23 winners were announced over the course of the evening, between keynote speeches from Jane Doyle (Coordinator of Training and Leadership for K–2, Dominic College TAS) and Yasodai Selvakumaran (Humanities Teacher, Rooty Hill High School NSW). There was even a cheeky cocktail tutorial for viewers to indulge in!
APA CEO Michael Gordon-Smith presenting at the virtual EPAAs. Photo by the APA.
Copyright Agency was once again a major event sponsor and presented the Publishers of the Year, with CEO Adam Suckling saying: “We are really proud to sponsor this award again tonight. It’s been a really tough year for publishers, but they have risen to the challenge of COVID-19 with real innovation and focus, and delivered for their customers.”
Primary Publisher of the Year went to Promoting Literacy Development (PLD) – their third consecutive win. PLD’s resources are authored by speech pathologists and occupational therapists, and target literacy, oral language and motor skills in early childhood units and primary schools.
Secondary Publisher of the Year went to Jacaranda, which develops and delivers innovative learning solutions and education resources. Noting that the award was voted for by customers, Director of Publishing Shirley Griffith said: “to us it’s the most special award of all to win.”
Another major prize was the Mike Horsley Award, which recognises dedication, excellence and outstanding service by an individual in the educational publishing industry. This year’s winner was Peter van Noorden, whose career as an educator, author, publisher, business leader and mentor spans over 40 years.
“COVID-19 is really bringing educational publishing resources right to the fore again,” Peter said. “It’s a challenging time, but parents, students, lecturers and teachers will be very happy to have fantastic resources in their hands.”
If you missed the live premiere, you can browse the EPAA catalogue for the full list of winners or rewatch the entire presentation on YouTube. Congratulations to everyone involved in this year’s event!