Young Victorians across the Education State celebrated 20 years of the Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge, with more than three million books read during this year's challenge.
Premier Jacinta Allan today congratulated the more than 76,200 young Victorian readers who took part in 2025 - also thanking the 741 schools, 1,141 early childhood services and 1,736 home-based readers who participated.
This year's theme was '20 Years of Words and Wonder' which captured the excitement and sense of adventure that comes with reading.
Participants could select from more than 15,000 books from the challenge booklist or choose their own, including picture books, short stories, poems or non-fiction titles.
Among the popular titles were books from Australian authors including 'Anzac Ted' by Belinda Landsberry, 'A Leaf Called Grief' by Kelly Canby and 'The Truck Cat' by Victorian author Deborah Frenkel.
From March to September, students in years three to 10 were challenged to complete 15 books or more over the six months, while younger participants in Prep to year two were encouraged to read or experience 30 books.
Children attending early childhood services could also participate by reading or experiencing 40 books with the help of their families.
The challenge has been running for two decades and is designed to nurture literacy, spark imagination and instil a love of learning in young students, strengthening Victoria's reputation as the Education State.
Since beginning in 2005, more than 4.7 million students and children have participated in the Victorian Premiers' Reading Challenge, reading more than 66 million books.
The Allan Labor Government is further supporting young Victorians to develop a lifelong love of reading - investing more than $1.2 million to provide a bag full of free, engaging and fun books for prep students starting school in 2026.
For more information, visit vic.gov.au/premiers-reading-challenge.
As stated by Premier Jacinta Allan
"The Premiers' Reading Challenge has fostered a love reading for millions of young Victorians for 20 years, and this year has once again shown the importance of building confidence and sparking imagination for lifelong learning."
As stated by Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll
"I want to congratulate every parent and carer who has supported their child's learning and love of reading as part of this challenge - each word, page and chapter will go a long way in their education journey."
