Calling all Queensland-based Authors!

Help develop a Children's Picture Book as part of the 40th anniversary of Queensland Child Protection Week!

Children's Rights Queensland and the Queensland Child Protection Week Committee are looking for an author to:

1. Develop a story concept based on the brief outlined in this document.
2. Plan and draft the story, incorporating the key messages, children’s voices and suggested themes where possible.
3. Submit the draft story for review by a panel appointed by the Queensland Child Protection Week Committee.
4. Refine the story based on feedback, if selected for publication.

Submissions will be reviewed by a special panel formed by the Queensland Child Protection Week Committee.

If selected as the author of this book, you will:

• Receive a one-off payment for developing the story (detailed in the brief).
• Sign an agreement transferring the rights to the story to Children’s Rights Queensland, granting permission for its use in perpetuity.
• Sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
• Receive author credit on the front of the book, alongside the illustrator’s name.
• Be promoted as the author in media coverage related to the book.
• Be featured on a dedicated landing page on the CRQ and QCPW websites.
• Attend the book launch event and associated events.
• Have thousands of copies of your story distributed across Queensland and Australia.

If you are not selected your story will not be used in any form without your express permission.

Key messages (to be included in the story or reflected in the book): 

• “Protecting children is everybody’s business”.
• Children’s right to safety, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
  
• Every child has the right to feel safe, cared for, and protected.
• When adults listen, care, and act, children feel safer and stronger.

Suggested topics (for thematic alignment): 

• Safe, supportive relationships help children grow and thrive.
• Connection and care build children’s resilience and brain development.
• Children have the right to be heard and taken seriously.
  
• Every adult can play a role in promoting children’s wellbeing and safety.
• Children should know they are not alone.
  

Additional requirements:

• You must have your own ABN for tax purposes.
• If your story is selected, you will be required to enter into a legal agreement with Children’s Rights Queensland.
• Stories must be original work created by the author and must not be copyrighted or generated using artificial intelligence.

To receive a copy of the brief for this project, complete the form below by 5pm, 30 January 2026 and we will be in touch.