2024 NSW Premier's Reading Challenge
2024 NSW Premier's Reading Challenge
Sami had the pleasure of doing the poster art for the 2024 NSW Premier's Reading Challenge.
The Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely. The Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is open to all NSW students in Kindergarten to Year 10, in government, independent, Catholic and home schools.
2024 Challenge Dates
Monday 26 February 2024: Challenge opens
Friday 23 August 2024: Challenge closes for student entries
Friday 6 September 2024: Challenge closes for coordiantor validations
Check out the official website to learn more: https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html - Also to save poster, drag to desktop.
To purchase your own high quality print of the poster (art with no text), check out Sami’s shop listing here.
Who is Sami Bayly?
Sami is a 28 year old author and illustrator who is currently based in Newcastle, NSW. She loves all things weird and wonderful and enjoys painting realistic flora and fauna.
After studying a bachelor of Natural History Illustration at The University of Newcastle, she has published 5 books. 3 of which are part of The Illustrated Encyclopaedia series: The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals, The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals and The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Peculiar Pairs in Nature.
Her latest 2 books however, are in a newly released series about animal evolution stories. They are, How We Came To Be - Surprising Sea Creatures and How We Came To Be - Creatures of Camouflage and Mimicry, all published by Lothian/Hachette Australia.
She can’t wait to see what her future holds!
Awards
Over the years Sami has won and been nominated for numerous awards, these include:
Winner of the Children's Indie Book of the Year Award - Indie Book Awards
Winner of the Environmental Award for Children’s Literature Non-fiction - The Wilderness Society
Winner of the Sun Project Shadow Judging - Shadowers’ Choice for the Eve Pownall Award - CBCA
Winner of the Best Designed Children’s Non-Fiction Illustrated book - Australian Book Design Awards.
2020 GOLD Winner for the Juvenile Non-Fiction Award - Foreword Reviews
Honour for the Eve Pownall Award - CBCA
Shortlisted for the Book of the Year for Younger Children - ABIA’s
Shortlisted for the Booksellers' Choice 2020 Book of the Year Awards - ABA’s
Shortlisted for the Children’s Book of The Year - Queensland Literacy Awards
Longlisted for the Eve Pownall Award - CBCA
Highly Commended for the NSW Community Educator of the Year - AAEE
Longlisted for the World Illustration Awards (Science & Technology category) - Association of Illustrators
Included in the top 50 Favourite Australian Books - Booktopia
Winner of the Emerging Artist Competition - The Olive Tree Market
Winner of the Start Your Studio Scholarship Award - Jasco Art
Winner of the William Fletcher Foundation Fund - University of Newcastle
Co-winner of the Scientific Illustration Scholarship - Australian Museum
Her books have also been published overseas in numerous countries including the UK, USA, South Korea, Sweden, Israel and Russia. With future publications to be released in China and more.
NEWS
NEWS
- Book News -
Out Now
Discover the stories, secrets and tricks behind some remarkable creatures who use camouflage and mimicry to not only survive, but thrive, with award-winning author and illustrator, Sami Bayly.
How We Came To Be - Creatures of Camouflage and Mimicry
Discover the secrets behind some of the natural world's most unusual creatures of camouflage and mimicry. Find out about the chameleon who changes colour to communicate with its friends, the burrowing owl who copies the sound of a fiercer animal to protect itself from threats, and the harlequin filefish that has come to smell like coral to blend in with its surroundings.
You'll be amazed by how these clever creatures use disguise and imitation to find food, send out warning signals and, most of all, avoid predators!
This is the second book in a new series about unusual animal evolution stories, from award-winning and best-selling author and illustrator, Sami Bayly.
It can be found in all good book stores, but any personalised copies can be ordered here.
MORE NEWS
MORE NEWS
Sami has been featured in the new edition of Rebel Girls Animal Allies - 25 Tales of Women Working with Wildlife.
Okay… so prepare yourself for this VERY exciting news.
Rebel Girls has included Sami in their next book called Animal Allies 🦧😍
“Meet 25 brave, compassionate scientists, veterinarians, activists, and others who fight for animal rights and conservation in Rebel Girls Animal Allies.
Animal Allies will take readers all around the world-to the top of trees and the bottom of the ocean, deep into the jungle, and high into the mountains. They’ll visit labs and veterinary offices, and learn about many different ways an animal lover might turn their interest into a path for the future.”
In this book, Sami is along side some of the MOST inspiring women, including Kristen Bell, Jane Goodall, Birute Galdikas, Bindi Irwin and more! So you might need to pinch her, because wow 😆 how is that even possible.
A huge thank you to the team at Rebel Girls for noticing Sami’s animal advocation efforts and for inviting her to be a part of such a special project. She was even asked to illustrate her own page, which is why you’ll spot some of her favourite ‘ugly’ friends hanging around for the photo op. 😊
This book is available now. Just click here to order your own copy (because I mean… who wouldn’t) 😁❤️🌱
Social Media
If you want to be kept up to date with her process, book signing, workshops (and even see some sneak peaks of her upcoming books), then follow her on social media.
Check out the video below of some of Sami’s friends sharing their own favourite peculiar pair!
Outdoor photos by @Olivetreemarket
Studio photos by @shanrosephotography at @hunterhunterau