The awards celebrate the exceptional talents of emerging and established Australian writers, illustrators, poets, and historians.
The Prime Minister's Literary Awards acknowledge the contribution of Australian literature to the nation's cultural and intellectual life.
Director of Writing Australia, Wenona Byrne, said:
"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."
Writing Australia is part of Creative Australia, the Australian government's principal arts investment and advisory body. This marks the fourth year Creative Australia has delivered the awards, following the release of the Australian Government's 2023 National Cultural Policy, Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place.
CEO Adrian Collette AM said:
"The Prime Minister's Literary Awards recognise the vital contribution writers, illustrators and historians make to Australia's cultural life. This year's shortlisted works demonstrate the strength and diversity of Australian storytelling and its capacity to connect communities, challenge assumptions and enrich our national conversation.
"Creative Australia is proud to deliver the awards through Writing Australia and to celebrate the exceptional achievements of this year's shortlisted creators."
Creative Australia received a remarkable 673 entries across six literary categories: fiction, non-fiction, young adult literature, children's literature, poetry, and Australian history.
Expert judging panels have carefully considered entries for the awards to select the final shortlists, including:
Children's Literature
- Bored - Felicita Sala
- Little Bones - Sandy Bigna
- Rain on the Rock - Valerie Brumby
- Song of a Thousand Seas - Zana Fraillon
- The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe - Karen Foxlee
Young Adult Literature
- Blood Moon Bride - Demet Divaroren
- Drift - Pip Harry
- The Edge of Everything - Miranda Luby
- The Foal in the Wire - Robbie Coburn
- This Stays Between Us - Margot McGovern
Australian History
- Fearless Beatrice Faust: Sex, Feminism and Body Politics - Judith Brett
- First Tasmanians: A Deep History - Shayne Breen
- Playtime: A History of Australian Childhood - Emily Gallagher
- The Australian Wars - Rachel Perkins, Stephen Gapps, Mina Murray and Henry Reynolds
- The Southern Frontier - Rohan Howitt
Poetry
- Ghost of Myself - John Kinsella
- How to Emerge - Jill Jones
- KONTRA - Eunice Andrada
- The Rot - Evelyn Araluen
- Two Hundred Million Musketeers - Ender Başkan
Fiction
- A Piece of Red Cloth - Leonie Norrington, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Djawa Burarrwanga and Djawundil Maymuru
- Arborescence - Rhett Davis
- In the Name of the Trees - Merlinda Bobis
- Out of the Woods - Gretchen Shirm
- The Immigrants: Fabula Mirabilis, or A Wonderful Story - Moreno Giovannoni
Non-fiction
- Blue Poles: Jackson Pollock, Gough Whitlam and the Painting that Changed a Nation - Tom McIlroy
- Gather Up Your World in One Long Breath - S. Shakthidharan
- Terraglossia - Dr Debra Dank
- The Red House - Kate Wild
- What Artists See - Quentin Sprague
The winners of the 2026 Prime Minister's Literary Awards will be announced on Thursday 10 September 2026 at a prestigious ceremony held at the National Library of Australia in Canberra. The Awards offer writers access to Australia's richest annual literary prizes, offering a total tax-free prize pool of $600,000. Winners receive $80,000 tax-free per category, and up to four shortlisted entries in each category receive $5,000 tax-free.
To read about the 2026 shortlists, including judging panel comments, please visit the Prime Minister's Literary Awards 2026 page.
