NSW History Awards 2025 shortlists announced

Monday, 18 August 2025 Books+Publishing

The State Library of NSW (SLNSW) has announced the shortlists for the 2025 NSW History Awards, worth a total of $85,000 in prize money.

The shortlisted titles of each category are:

Australian History Prize ($15,000)

Warra Warra Wai (Darren Rix and Craig Cormick, Scribner)
Warrior Soldier Brigand: Institutional Abuse within the Australian Defence Force (Ben Wadham and James Connor, Melbourne University Publishing)
Näku Dhäruk The Bark Petitions: How the People of Yirrkala Changed the Course of Australian Democracy (Clare Wright, Text)

General History Prize ($15,000)

Vector: A Surprising Story of Space, Time, and Mathematical Transformation (Robyn Arianrhod, UNSW Press)
Piracy and the Making of the Spanish Pacific World (Kristie Patricia Flannery, University of Pennsylvania Press)
Paris in Ruins: Love, War and the Birth of Impressionism (Sebastian Smee, Text Publishing)

NSW Community and Regional History Prize ($15,000)

Politics, Pride and Perversion: The Rise and Fall of Frank Arkell (Erik Eklund, ANU Press)
Critical Care: Nurses on the Frontline of Australia’s AIDS Crisis (Geraldine Fela, UNSW Press)
Yirranma Place: Stories of a Darlinghurst Corner (Alana Piper, NewSouth)

Digital History Prize ($15,000)

One Mind, One Heart (Larissa Behrendt, Michaela Perske and Clare Wright, Pursekey Productions)
Welcome to Babel (James Bradley and Graeme Isaac, Nirvana Films and Mayfan Films)
Kangaroo Dog (Jane Curtis, John Jacobs and Ros Bluett, Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Young People’s History Prize ($15,000)

Our History: Bold Ben Hall (Sophie Masson, Walker Books)
Our Flag, Our Story: The Torres Strait Islander Flag (Bernard Namok Jnr and Thomas Mayo, illustrated by Tori-Jay Mordey, Magabala Books)
Soaring with the Sugarbird Lady (Dianne Wolfer, Fremantle Press)

Anzac Memorial Trustees Military History Prize ($10,000)

Rock and Tempest: Surviving Cyclone Tracy and its Aftermath (Patricia Collins, Hachette Australia)
Sister Viv (Grantlee Kieza, ABC Books)
Australia’s Lost Heroes: Anzacs in the Russian Civil War 1919 (Damien Wright, Big Sky Publishing).

Minister for the Arts John Graham said of the shortlisted writers, ‘Their work demonstrates excellence in historical research and highlights the vital role history plays in shaping how we understand the world. Works like these strengthen our society by deepening our shared understanding of the past.’

The winners of each category will be announced at an awards ceremony at the SLNSW on Friday 5 September 2025 during NSW History Week.

More information about the awards is available on the SLNSW website.

Category: Awards Local news