Joining the MS Readathon
What is the MS Readathon?
The MS Readathon is a free reading challenge made to help kids and adults fall in love with reading all while raising funds for people across Australia living with MS.
The goal is simple:
1. Sign up
2. Read as many books as you can throughout August and log them on your profile!
3. Share your challenge with your friends, family, school, colleagues or any one else you can think of so they can donate and support your challenge!
Thats it! By joining you will be immersed in the incredible world of reading all while helping families across Australia living with MS!
How can I sign up?
Do you have to be school aged to register?
No! The beauty of the MS Readathon is that anyone of any age can take part! We know reading is a great skill for little ones to develop, but also a fun hobby for teens and adults, so we encourage everyone to sign up!
Can I register multiple children under one email address?
Yes! Simply click here to start the registration process for your children.
Start by entering your parent or guardian details first. When you get to the ‘Your Children's Details’ step of registration, fill in the details for your child. If you’d like to add another child under the same email, select the ‘add another child’ button. You can register up to 5 children under the one email address.
Why does the MS Readathon look different than last year?
This year, the MS Readathon has evoled to help kids, parents and adults fall in love with reading! That means a new look, new rewards and new fun!
I remember doing a Readathon as a kid - is this the same?
Yes! It is very likely you did the MS Readathon as a kid. It has been around in Australia for 48 years and each year is bigger and better!
While the concept of reading books is the same, you now have access to your own fundraising page and dashaboard to record your books and raise money!
Fundraising
Is there a fundraising minimum?
There is no fundraising minimum, we encourage you and your family to raise as much as is doable for you. This could be $25 or $250. Last year participants raised $147 on average!
The most important thing is that you have fun making a difference for kids who have a parent living with multiple sclerosis. But remember there are loads of awesome fundraising prizes and awards to be won!
Why can't I see my rewards and progress in my dashboard or fundraising page?
To ensure your dashboard and fundraising page can be an amazing help to you in August, it is currently under construction. You can still use your page and raise money, but check back in July to see the great new updates and features!
What does the funds raised go towards?
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common diseases of the nervous system. Every five minutes, someone in the world is diagnosed with MS and it impacts every person – and every family – differently.
Your fundraising helps connect these people with vital support and services to ensure they are getting the best out of life, no matter what stage of their journey they are at!
Why can I only see one fundraising page for my children?
Each child in your family will be able to set a goal and will recieve rewards your family earns.
Is my donation tax deductable?
Yes! All donations over $2 are tax deductable in Australia. We will email you your receipt.
Do you have any items like posters and tiles available to help spread word on my MS Readathon?
Yes, absolutely! Please check out the 'Resources' section on your dashboard. Or alternatively, you can also download them from the website here.
Do my individual donations tally to my school/class?
Yes! As long as you chose to ‘join a school’ as part of your registration, your donations will add to your school tally.
How do I reset my password?
To re-set your password, click the ‘login’ button on the website and simply hit the ‘forgot password?’ link.
Reading
How many books do I have to read?
There is no minimum (or maximum) amount of books you have to read! Read as many books as you can in the month of August. Books can include comics, magazines, picture books, text books, audiobooks and novels. Anything you read, log as a book!
Can I read to my child during the MS Readathon?
Yes! If children are learning to read they can still be involved if their parents read to them. The MS Readathon is all about inspiring a love of reading and raising money for people living with MS.
When do I start reading?
You can start logging your books read for the MS Readathon from 1 August 2026!
You can start reading earlier, but technically, the MS Readathon is to read as much as you can, throughout August.
How do I log books I’ve read or reviewed?
Log into your personal MS Readathon account that was created when you registered. Here you can go to the My Books section to log books read or review books read.
Parents
I have registered my child in the wrong school or class.
No problem, this can easily be updated when you are logged into your parent dashboard. Head to (FINISH INSTRUCTIONS)
I've already registered my child to take part, can they still join a school or class after I've registered?
If you would like to join a school after registering please complete the contact form with all the relevant details so the team can complete that change for you
I registered multiple kids and have received one of my kids welcome packs but not the others. Where are they?
As a charity MS qualifies for Charity Mail which means we can send out packs at a more cost effective rate. However sending multiple packs together means we do not meet the dimension restrictions to qualify for Charity Mail. Therefore each child's welcome pack will be sent out individually and will begin to be distributed within 4 weeks of you completing registrations, packs can take 2 to 3 weeks to arrive. Packs should arrive within a week of each other, however don't hesitate to contact the team at msreadathon@ms.org.au if you have any questions regarding this. Thank you for your understanding.
Teachers
Do you have any resources available to help teachers?
Yes, absolutely! Please check out the teacher resources section of the website.
I am a teacher and can't register my pupils all at once. What can I do?
The MS Readathon requires parents to register their children. There are many reasons for this, one of which is privacy. As a teacher you can register your school here. Then let the parents (or your students) know by sending them a link to your school online page.
If you would like assistance with completing these registrations please feel free to give us a call on 1300 677 323 and we can assist you.
Adults
Can I do the MS Readathon as an adult?
Of course! The MS Readathon is for everyone - especially adults who love reading! See how many books you can read in the month of August!
You can also involve your book club, friends group or workplace!
Do Adults need to fundraise?
While Fundraising is not mandatory, we encourage everyone to give fundraising a go! Even donating $20 or $50 to yourself makes a big difference to people living with MS!
T-Shirts and Rewards
How do I recieve my/my child's fundraising rewards?
Your fundraising rewards will be sent to you in September, once fundraising has closed to ensure we can send you everything at once. These will be sent to the address you listed when you register.
How do I recieve a T-shirt?
This year, T-shirts are automatically sent with your welcome pack, however stock is greatly limited, so make sure to register early to secure your shirt!
How do I care for my shirt?
As they are so colourful, the shirts should be washed on cold and hung out to dry - beware the dryer is NOT our friend when it comes to these shirts!
Why is the shirt the same as previous years?
We’ve chosen to use the same t‑shirt design as last year because we still have plenty of high‑quality shirts left in stock. Rather than ordering new ones - and creating unnecessary waste - we’re making the environmentally conscious choice to use what we already have.
By doing this, we’re reducing textile waste, avoiding additional manufacturing impact, and making the most of resources we’ve already produced. It’s a small but meaningful step toward running our event more sustainably, and we appreciate your support in helping us minimise our environmental footprint.
Do adult readers recieve the same rewards as children?
While some items like the T-shirt are the same for children and adults, adult top fundraisers will be treated with some other exciting goodies as a reward for your incredible effort!
Further help
Sure! Head to our 'Contact us' page, to submit your questions
I'd like to talk to someone about reading and/or fundraising
Sure! Head to our 'Contact Us' page to submit an enquiry and request an email or a call back. You can also contact us via DM on facebook or instagram.
Can I talk to someone about being involved as a partner or sponsor of the MS Readathon?
