First Nations authors have been recognised for their contributions to environmental storytelling and cultural education through the Wilderness Society's 2025 shortlists for the Karajia and Environment Awards for Children's Literature.

The Karajia Award highlights First Nations voices which share stories of connection to Country through land, language and community.

Among the shortlisted writers is Gunai woman Kirli Saunders, recognised for her picture book Afloat and her collaborations alongside students from Vincentia High School.

Ms Saunders said Afloat responds to the current climate crisis through a First Nations lens.

"I feel really grateful for Afloat to be celebrated by the Karajia and Environment Awards for Children Literature," she said.

"The work of the Wilderness Society is so impactful and I revel in sharing stories that connect our young people and empower them to feel like they can make change.

"Afloat is written for this time of rising seas and with the awareness that first nations people have the knowledge and the wisdom for how to care for Country and with the awareness that we are the first peoples dispossessed of our home lands when a climate crisis hits."

Also shortlisted is Narungga, Kaurna and Adnyamathanha woman Tylissa Elisara for her fiction title Wurrtoo.

"I hope kids from all backgrounds can take away the message that our culture is not a deficit, but a superpowered strength," Ms Elisara said.

"Traditional practices are not just important, but necessary to care for the beautiful continent we all share."

Other Indigenous authors on the shortlist include Bardi woman Aunty Munya Andrews (Ask Aunty: Bush Survival Skills), Gumbaynggirr, Dunghutti and Bundjalung woman Melissa Greenwood (Miimi and Buwaarr, Mother and Baby), and Gamilaroi and Dunghutti author Marlee Silva (For 60,000 Years).

Boon Wurrung and Wamba Wamba Elder Aunty Fay Muir is again shortlisted, alongside co-author Sue Lawson, for Always Was, Always Will Be and Country.

"Country is a book that shares the importance of caring for Country," Aunty Fay said.

"So that everyone can experience the beauty that Country has to offer them and all living creatures that call it home."

The Karajia shortlist also includes When the World Was Soft by Juluwarlu Group Aboriginal Corporation, The Moon Story by Walmajarri woman Marshia Cook, and bilingual titles created by Yuin students Tyran Uddin and Kayden Wellington, with Dharawal collaborators Kirli Saunders and Jaz Corr.

Wilderness Society National Campaigns Director Amelia Young said the awards continue to highlight the power of storytelling in connecting children to nature and culture.

"To protect nature, we must know it," she said.

"Storytelling is an integral way to get to know nature - from the fungus in tree roots to the nocturnal wildlife that swoops through forest canopies."

The Karajia and Environment Awards for Children's Literature will be announced later this year.