2026 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Shortlists Revealed

Writing Australia has officially revealed the shortlists for the 2026 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, celebrating standout works across fiction, non-fiction, Australian history, poetry, young adult, and children’s literature. Selected from a competitive field of 673 entries, thirty titles across six categories are now in the running for Australia’s richest literary honorarium.

The awards carry significant financial backing for local authors and illustrators. Every shortlisted entry earns $5,000, while the eventual winner in each category will receive $80,000 in tax-free prize money. In an industry where major advance figures often dominate headlines, such as when news broke about Jason Arday’s seven-figure memoir deal, direct public funding of this scale offers crucial financial stability to working writers.

Fiction and Non-Fiction

The fiction shortlist highlights a rich variety of storytelling modes, bringing together collaborative narratives, sweeping historical tales, and experimental works. Black Inc., Hachette, Spinifex Press, Transit Lounge, and Allen & Unwin all secured places on the list.

The shortlisted fiction titles are:

• A Piece of Red Cloth by Leonie Norrington, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Djawa Burarrwanga, and Djawundil Maymuru (Allen & Unwin)
• Arborescence by Rhett Davis (Hachette)
• In the Name of the Trees by Merlinda Bobis (Spinifex Press)
• Out of the Woods by Gretchen Shirm (Transit Lounge)
• The Immigrants: Fabula Mirabilis, or A Wonderful Story by Moreno Giovannoni (Black Inc.)

The non-fiction category covers an equally broad scope, spanning art history, political impact, personal reflection, and cultural criticism. Much like the environmental non-fiction debate surrounding stories such as a Bay Area author’s Yosemite book challenges, the non-fiction contenders here grapple deeply with cultural geography and history.

The shortlisted non-fiction titles are:

• Blue Poles: Jackson Pollock, Gough Whitlam and the Painting that Changed a Nation by Tom McIlroy (Hachette)
• Gather Up Your World in One Long Breath by S Shakthidharan (Powerhouse Publishing)
• Terraglossia by Debra Dank (Echo Publishing)
• The Red House by Kate Wild (Allen & Unwin)
• What Artists See by Quentin Sprague (Monash University Publishing)

Australian History and Poetry

The history shortlist focuses on seminal moments in Australia’s past, tackling body politics, childhood, deep Indigenous history, and colonial conflict. Meanwhile, the poetry selection presents bold contemporary voices published by university presses and independent poetry houses.

The shortlisted Australian history works are:

• Fearless Beatrice Faust: Sex, Feminism and Body Politics by Judith Brett (Text Publishing)
• First Tasmanians: A Deep History by Shayne Breen (Miegunyah Press)
• Playtime: A History of Australian Childhood by Emily Gallagher (La Trobe University Press)
• The Australian Wars by Rachel Perkins, Stephen Gapps, Mina Murray, and Henry Reynolds (Allen & Unwin)
• The Southern Frontier by Rohan Howitt (Melbourne University Press)

The shortlisted poetry collections are:

• Ghost of Myself by John Kinsella (University of Queensland Press)
• How to Emerge by Jill Jones (Vagabond Press)
• KONTRA by Eunice Andrada (Giramondo)
• The Rot by Evelyn Araluen (University of Queensland Press)
• Two Hundred Million Musketeers by Ender Başkan (Giramondo)

Children’s and Young Adult Literature

Writing for younger readers forms a major pillar of the awards, recognising both illustrated picture books and complex young adult fiction. Broadening access to deep historical narratives, a theme seen in works like Ruta Sepetys’ historical fiction research, remains a clear priority across modern young adult publishing.

The shortlisted children’s literature books are:

• Bored by Felicita Sala (Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)
• Little Bones by Sandy Bigna (University of Queensland Press)
• Rain on the Rock by Valerie Brumby (Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)
• Song of a Thousand Seas by Zana Fraillon (University of Queensland Press)
• The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe by Karen Foxlee (Allen & Unwin Children)

The shortlisted young adult titles are:

• Blood Moon Bride by Demet Divaroren (Allen & Unwin Children)
• Drift by Pip Harry (Lothian Children’s Books)
• The Edge of Everything by Miranda Luby (Text Publishing)
• The Foal in the Wire by Robbie Coburn (Lothian Children’s Books)
• This Stays Between Us by Margot McGovern (Penguin)

Looking Ahead to the Announcement

Speaking on behalf of the awards, Director of Writing Australia Wenona Byrne praised the shortlisted authors and the panel responsible for assessing the 673 entries.

“The 2026 shortlists reflect the extraordinary breadth, ambition and quality of writing being produced across Australia. These works invite us into new ideas, experiences and perspectives, while demonstrating the enduring power of literature to deepen our understanding of ourselves and one another. We congratulate all of this year’s shortlisted writers and illustrators, and thank the judges for the care, expertise and generosity they have brought to the selection process.”

The overall category winners will be announced at a formal ceremony on 10 September.