NSW Premier's Reading Challenge

Region: all
Kindergarten to Year 10

The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) is not a competition but a challenge for each student to read, read more, and read more widely. The program involves over 430,000 students and more than 2,600 government, non-government and home schools. The PRC booklists open doors to a rich collection of children’s literature representing a range of books, including fiction, non-fiction, picture books, poetry and drama, and a wide variety of Australian authors.
Cartoon worm wearing a party hat, encircled by "Celebrating 25 years of reading".

On this page

2026 dates

  • Opening date for student entries – Monday 23 February 2026

  • Closing date for student entries – Friday 18 September 2026 (Term 3 Week 9)

  • Closing date for coordinator validations – Friday 25 September 2026 (Term 3 Week 10)

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An introduction to the PRC

Duration: 11:10

Join Jade Arnold (Premier's Program Officer, Reading and Spelling) and Australian author and illustrator Sami Bayly as they introduce the Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC).

Chapter 1: What is the PRC? – 0:57
Chapter 2: The rules of the PRC – 3:51
Chapter 3: How to log books on the student experience site – 8:25

Video transcript – An introduction to the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge
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PRC resources to nurture a reading culture

Duration: 1:01:54

Looking for ideas on how to integrate our resources in your school library or classroom?

Watch our live session unpacking the suite of 25th anniversary resources, where we share practical ideas of how these can be implemented in your school setting.

You can also read this document for an overview of our 25th anniversary resources.

 
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NSW Premier's Reading Challenge resource hub

Explore our wide range of resources to nurture a culture of reading as your school takes on the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge.
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Creative challenges

Video

PRC 25th anniversary special with Jason Gent

Join Jason Gent as he shares the inspiration behind his verse novel This Season’s Draft, discusses his writing journey, and offers practical advice on writing in verse by finding ideas from everyday life.
Webform

Writing in verse

Years 7 to 10
Write an original piece of writing in verse that captures a snapshot of your school year by focusing on a sport or activity you are passionate about.
Video

PRC 25th anniversary special with Anh Do

Anh shares recommendations for his other books you might enjoy, offers creative writing tips, and presents his very own creative challenge: a short writing task inspired by Wolf Girl.
Webform

You're the Storyteller Now

Years 5 to 10
Write an original short story inspired by Anh Do’s prompt as a part of the 2026 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge.
Video

Kristin Darell author interview

Join Kristin Darell and the Taronga Zoo education team as they explore Kristin’s Taronga Presents series, her other titles, and discuss the important topic of wildlife conservation.
Webform

Create Your Own Zookeeper

Years 3 to 6
Research, create and record an original zookeeper talk inspired by Australian author Kristin Darell as part of the 2026 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge.
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Podcasts and videos

Book bites – podcast

Years 3 to 12
One chapter. One book. One bite-sized story to get you hooked!

Between the bookshelves – podcast

Conversations with Australian authors, teacher librarians, PRC school coordinators, and education experts.

Author interviews – videos

Kindergarten to Year 10
Enjoy our video collections, including fantastic features on reading, writing, illustrating and engaging with the wonderful world of books.
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Downloads

Download
2026 Premier's Reading Challenge poster
PDF 548.01 KB
Download
PRC personal reading log
PDF 133.34 KB
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Enquiries

The PRC team
The Arts Unit
prc@det.nsw.edu.au

Links

The 2026 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge is proudly supported by Digital Partner, ePlatform and Supporter Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA).

All Arts Unit programs are inclusive. If support is required to participate in the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge, please email prc@det.nsw.edu.au so that we can assist.