Samantha Smith
Author of Picture Books
based in VIC
Samantha Smith lives in Melbourne with her three junior co-authors, an adopted cat, and nine-hundred-and-ninety-seven compost worms!
Her debut picture book, Harriet’s Hungry Worms (EK Books, 2023), has wriggled into the hearts of children, parents, and educators, earning international recognition including the 2024 NYC Big Book Award (Winner), North American Book Awards (Silver), and Rubery Book Award (Shortlisted). Her next two picture books, Billy & Buzz and Spiderpants!, will be published by EK Books in 2027.
Sam was shortlisted for the Queensland Writers Centre’s 2025 Pitchable program and was awarded a 2026 Wheeler Centre Hot Desk Fellowship to develop a new picture book project.
With a doctorate in youth communications and behaviour change, Sam brings a unique understanding of how to engage young audiences to her storytelling and spark a love of reading.
She regularly visits kindergartens, early learning centres, libraries, and schools across Australia, often dressed as a carrot and accompanied by her trusty sidekick, Merv the Worm! Sam is also a proud Author Ambassador for the Little Readers Read-a-thon At Home program and an Author Pen Pal.
When she’s not writing or meeting young bookworms, Sam enjoys being active in the children’s literature community as a CYA judge and a member of the Australian Society of Authors, the Children’s Book Council of Australia, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
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This author holds a Working with Children Check (WWCC).
