The shortlists for this year’s Prime Minister’s Literary Award were announced today, as I was driving back from Melbourne.
Creative Australia’s page for the announcement says they received “a remarkable 673 entries across six literary categories: fiction, non-fiction, young adult literature, children’s literature, poetry, and Australian history”, which is exactly what they said last year, except that it was 645 entries! (Gotta love copy and paste!) The winner in each category will receive $80,000 (tax-free), with each shortlisted author receiving $5,000.
CEO Adrian Collette said, among other things, that “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”.
Fiction
- Merlinda Bobis, In the name of the trees (Spinifex; won the ACT Literary Award for Fiction; on my TBR and, in fact, currently reading)
- Rhett Davis, Arborescence (Hachette Australia; reviewed by several bloggers including Brona, Kimbofo, and Lisa)
- Moreno Giovannoni, The immigrants: Fabula mirabilis, or A wonderful story (Black Inc; won the NSW Premiers Literary Award for Fiction)
- Leonie Norrington, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Djawa Burarrwanga and Djawundil Maymuru, A piece of red cloth (Allen & Unwin; Lisa’s review)
- Gretchen Shirm, Out of the Woods (Transit Lounge)
Talk about zeitgeist! There’s something going on about trees here, with three books referencing them in their titles. Having not read any of them, though I am currently reading Bobis’ novel, I can’t tell whether there really is something going on, but it’s certainly interesting to note!
Interestingly, as also happened last year, this year’s Miles Franklin winner, Omar Musa’s Fierceland, is not on the list despite having won two big fiction awards this year. But I note this rather than question, because these sorts of differences probably speak more to the strength of current Australian writing than to
Fiction award judges: Sophie Cunningham, Andre Dao, Nicholas Jose, and Beejay Silcox.
Poetry
- Eunice Andrada, KONTRA (Giramondo)
- Evelyn Araluen, The rot (UQP; won the ABIA for Small Publishers’ Adult Book)
- Ender Başkan, Two hundred million musketeers (Giramondo; won the Anne Elder Award)
- Jill Jones, How to emerge (Vagabond Press)
- John Kinsella, Ghost of myself (UQP)
Poetry award judges: Kate Lilley, Caitlin Maling, Juan Garrido Salgado, Jessica L. Wilkinson
Life is busy right now, as I’m preparing for an overseas trip – just two weeks away – but do check the Creative Australia page linked above to see the other four shortlists. I shared fiction because – well, that should be obvious to readers of this blog – and poetry because August is national poetry month in Australia, so why not give it some extra love!
The winners will be announced at the National Library of Australia on 10 September, 2026. I will be somewhere in Europe at the time, so posting on may miss it.
Any thoughts?
Whispering Gums 
An iverseas trip sounds exciting. I’m always happy yo see books about trees. Too many pollies trying to cut them down here in Tasmania.
Oh yes, true, Pam.
I love books about trees too which I guess is obvious from my name!
There were so many books about trees, that I had to backpedal and reread your introduction to see if the focus of the prize was on the natural world!
Haha, Melanie … that made me laugh.
Shame on me! I haven’t read any of them 😦
No shame needed Rach. You won’t be the only one. Indeed nor have I, though I will finish the Bobis in the next couple of days. It requires concentration but it is engrossing and beautiful.