Miles Franklin Literary Award 2026 shortlist announced

The shortlist for the 2026 Miles Franklin Literary Award has been announced.

Chosen from a longlist of 10, the shortlisted titles are:

• Discipline (Randa Abdel-Fattah, University of Queensland Press)
• First Name Second Name (Steve MinOn, University of Queensland Press)
• My Heart at Evening (Konrad Muller, Evercreech Editions)
• Fierceland (Omar Musa, Penguin Random House Australia)
• Little World (Josephine Rowe, Black Inc.)
• You Must Remember This (Sean Wilson, Affirm Press).

Each shortlisted author receives $5,000, and the 2026 winner will receive $60,000.

Discussing the shortlist, the judges – Richard Neville, Jumana Bayeh, Mridula Nath Chakraborty, Tony Hughes-d’Aeth and Maggie Nolan – said: “This year’s Miles Franklin shortlist showcases the capacity of the Australian novel to grapple with the most vexing and profound questions of our time. Grand and intimate, these novels sing the Australian experience into new shapes.”

Last year’s winner was Siang Lu for his novel Ghost Cities (University of Queensland Press).

The winner will be announced on 5 August 2026.

More information is available on the award’s website.

Category: Awards Local news