Stella Prize 2026 longlist announced
The longlist for the $60,000 Stella Prize for women and non-binary writers has been announced.
The longlisted books are:
- KONTRA (Eunice Andrada, Giramondo)
- The Rot (Evelyn Araluen, UQP)
- Memorial Days (Geraldine Brooks, Hachette)
- Ankami (Debra Dank, Echo)
- Fireweather (Miranda Darling, Scribe)
- Apron-Sorrow / Sovereign-Tea (Natalie Harkin, Wakefield)
- Cannon (Lee Lai, Giramondo)
- Wild Dark Shore (Charlotte McConaghy, Penguin)
- Wait Here (Lucy Nelson, Summit)
- Find Me at the Jaffa Gate: An Encyclopaedia of a Palestinian family (Micaela Sahhar, NewSouth)
- 58 Facets: On Violence and the Law (Marika Sosnowski, MUP)
- I Am Nannertgarrook (Tasma Walton, Bundyi).
This year’s judges, Sophie Gee (chair), Jaclyn Crupi, Benjamin Law, Gillian O’Shaughnessy and Ellen van Neerven, selected a longlist from a pool of 212 entries. Each of the authors with longlisted titles will receive $2000 in prize money.
Gee said, “As we narrowed the field to a long-longlist, we commented often on how virtually every book reimagined and transformed a different life story, through fine-grained attention, creative intelligence and technical skill. The 12 longlist titles reflect the excellence of all the entries, virtually all of which accomplished something moving and true through narrative, structure, voice or description.
“Many of the titles on the longlist are ‘page turners’, stories that instantly pull you in and make you want to know more. Accessible, appealing writing is an underrated virtue. Some of the books are more reserved or ‘difficult’ reads. And they succeed in engaging readers who long to be challenged, provoked, or guided skilfully through hard feelings.”
Founded in 2012, the Stella Prize is open to books by Australian women and non-binary writers. Six shortlisted titles will be announced on 8 April and the winner will be announced on 13 May.
The winner of last year’s Stella Prize was Michelle de Kretser for Theory & Practice (Text).
More information about the Stella Prize and this year’s longlist is available on the Stella Prize website.
Category: Awards Local news
