Russell Prize for Humour Writing 2025 shortlists announced
The State Library of NSW has announced the shortlists for the 2025 Russell Prize for Humour Writing and the Humour Writing for Young People Award.
The books shortlisted for the Russell Prize for Humour Writing are:
- Ghost Cities (Siang Lu, UQP)
- Green Dot (Madeleine Gray, A&U)
- My Brother’s Ashes are in a Sandwich Bag (Michelle Brasier, Ultimo)
- My Name is Gucci (Sun Jung, Transit Lounge)
- The Next Big Thing (James Colley, Pantera)
- Quaint Deeds (AJ Mackinnon, Black Inc.).
The $10,000 biennial prize, which aims to ‘celebrate, recognise and encourage the humour-writing genre’, is awarded to the best book of humour writing by an Australian author published in the previous two years.
The books shortlisted for the Humour Writing for Young People Award are:
- Adventures Unlimited: The Land of Lost Things (Andy Griffiths, illus by Bill Hope, Pan)
- Baa Baa Black Belt (Gavin Aung Than, Scholastic)
- Huda Was Here (H Hayek, A&U Children’s)
- Laughter is the Best Ending (Maryam Master, illus by Astred Hicks, Pan)
- Oscar vs the Grand Old Dude Named York (Ross Curnow, Walker)
- Out of Bounds: The Too-Tall Tales of Alma T Best (Katherine Collette, HarperCollins).
The $5000 Humour Writing for Young People award is offered for a published work intended for readers aged 5–12 years.
The winners will be announced at Sydney Writers’ Festival on 25 May.
In 2023, Martin McKenzie-Murray’s memoir The Speechwriter (Scribe) won the Russell Prize, and the Humour Writing for Young People Award went to Rita’s Revenge (Lian Tanner, A&U).
For more information about the prize, visit the State Library of NSW website.
Category: Awards Local news
