I haven’t announced the Prime Minister’s Literary Award shortlists for a few years, but for various reasons, including the fact that there is a Poetry section which works nicely with this month being National Poetry Month (see my Monday Musings), I’ve decided to share this year’s shortlists.
Creative Australia’s page for the announcement says they received “a remarkable 645 entries across six literary categories: fiction, non-fiction, young adult literature, children’s literature, poetry, and Australian history”. The winner in each category will receive $80,000, with each shortlisted author receiving $5,000.
Fiction
- Michelle de Kretser, Theory & practice (Text, my review)
- Fiona McFarlane, Highway 13 (A&U, on my wishlist, kimbofo’s review)
- Emily Maguire, Rapture (A&U, on my wishlist, kimbofo’s review)
- Mykaela Saunders, Always will be: Stories of Goori sovereignty from the futures of the Tweed (UQP, on my TBR)
- Tim Winton, Juice (Hamish Hamilton, on my TBR, kimbofo’s review)
Most of these books have been appearing on shortlists throughout this year, with de Kretser and McFarlane having won some of those already announced. De Kretser won the Stella, and McFarlane has won the ALS Gold Medal as well as the NSW and Victorian Premiers’ fiction awards. That’s serious recognition.
Interestingly, this year’s Miles Franklin winner, Siang Lu’s Ghost cities, is not on the list. However, I like that two short story collections have been included.
Fiction award judges: George Haddad, Chloe Hooper, Julieanne Lamond, and Stephen Romei. For the full judging panel across all categories, check the webpage linked above.
Poetry
- Peter Boyle, Companions, ancestors, inscriptions (Vagabond)
- David Brooks, The other side of daylight: New and selected poems (UQP, a 2025 National Poetry Month Ambassador)
- Hasib Hourani, rock flight (Giramondo)
- Barrina South, Makarra (Recent Work Press)
- Petra White, That galloping horse (Shearsman Books)
Nonfiction
- James Bradley, Deep water (Hamish Hamilton, Brona’s review)
- Adele Dumont, The pulling (Scribe)
- Rick Morton, Mean streak (Fourth Estate)
- Khin Myint, Fragile creatures: A Memoir (Black Inc.)
- Samah Sabawi, Cactus pear for my beloved (Penguin)
Australian history
- Geraldine Fela, Critical care: Nurses on the Frontline of Australia’s AIDS crisis (UNSW Press)
- Peter Kirkpatrick, The wild reciter: Poetry and popular culture in Australia 1890 to the present (Melbourne University Publishing)
- Amanda Laugesen, Australia in 100 words (NewSouth)
- Darren Rix & Craig Cormick, Warra Warra Wai (Scribner, on my TBR)
- Clare Wright, Näku Dhäruk The Bark Petitions (Text)
Children’s literature
- Kelly Canby, A leaf called Greaf (Fremantle)
- Peter Carnavas, Leo and Ralph (UQP)
- Kylie Gatjawarrawuy Mununggurr, Raymaŋgirrbuy dhäwu, When I was a little girl (Magabala)
- Dave Petzold, We live in a bus (T&H)
- Briony Stewart, Everything you ever wanted to know about the Tooth Fairy (and some things you didn’t) (Lothian)
Young adult
- Sophie Beer, Thunderhead (A&U Children’s)
- Kate Emery, My family and other suspects (A&U Children’s)
- Jinyoung Kim & Sabina Patawaran, The anti-racism kit: A guide for high school students (HGCP)
- Emma Lord, Anomaly (Affirm)
- Krystal Sutherland, The Invocations (Penguin)
The winners will be announced at the National Library of Australia on 29 September, 2025.
Any thoughts?
Whispering Gums 
Thank you for the Deep Water shout-out and no doubt, seeing Warra Warra Wai on another shortlist reminds us both that we want to read it soon 🙂
A pleasure Brona – and me too re Warra warra wai!
I meant to say too that I believe that both Kim & Kate reviewed The Jaguar.
Oh thanks Brona … I’ll check that out later … just waiting for Miss Three to arrive for the day!
Have fun with Miss Three 🙂
We did! Including reading The big hungry bear again!
😀
Thanks for linking to my reviews. Think it’s the first time I’ve read all but one on the fiction shortlist. And the one I haven’t read — by Mykaela Saunders — was impossible to find when I went looking for it earlier in the year (It was longlisted for the Stella, which is why I wanted to read it). Might see if the library has it in stock now – it didn’t at the time.
Yes, I thought you had done amazingly well, Kimbofo. I have the Saunders but haven’t read it. I really want to read McFarlane’s in particular, as I loved her The night guest and love that this is short stories.
As I said to Lisa, many books out of mainstream advertising. The list is interesting.
I think that’s fairly common for literary awards, Pam? That is, that the books aren’t necessarily on the bookshop bestseller lists, etc? Interestingly, I feel I know more of these because I think more bloggers I follow have reviewed them.
That’s probably true as you follow more bloggers than I do.
Thank you for sharing these with us.
Glad to be of service Deb!
Some very interesting and exciting books on that list – thank you for sharing!
Thanks Liz … there are. I love your interest in Aussie writers.
I’m a fan of Tim Winton’s books and Fiona McFarlane’s two earlier novels … so I’m rooting for them … but have not read Juice or Highway 13 yet … need to get to those! thx for sharing the shortlist.
Thanks Susan. Yes, I like both those too, though I’ve only read McFarlane’s The night guest. I am so keen to read more of her.
Some years are like that, aren’t they, with the same titles dotting the various lists for awards and recognitions. Still, I’m not complaining, because the repetition does help lodge them in my mind. heheh
Haha, Marcie, I agree! Whichever way it goes there are positives and negatives aren’t there?