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Shakthidharan among Windham-Campbell Prize 2026 winners

A portrait of S. Shakthidharan Thursday, 9 April 2026
Sydney playwright S Shakthidharan has won a 2026 Windham-Campbell Prize, worth US$175,000 (A$249,000). Shakthidharan was selected in the category of drama for his “ambition and scale, and his deep care...

Stella Prize 2026 shortlist announced

The covers of the six books shortlisted for the Stella Prize Thursday, 9 April 2026
The  shortlist for the $60,000 Stella Prize for works by Australian women and non-binary writers has been announced. The shortlisted books are: The Rot (Evelyn Araluen, UQP) Memorial Days (Geraldine Brooks, Hachette)...

Cultivate mentorship 2026 winners announced

Photograph of Huyen Hac Helen Tran standing in front of greenery Wednesday, 8 April 2026
Writing NSW has announced the winners of the 2026 Cultivate Mentorship Program for First Nations and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Emerging Writers. Developed by Writing NSW to “help build equity...

Blake Poetry Prize 2026 shortlist announced

Logo of the Blake Poetry Prize on a black background Tuesday, 7 April 2026
Liverpool Powerhouse and WestWords have announced the poets shortlisted for the 2026 Blake Poetry Prize, worth $5000. The shortlisted works are: “Aftermath” by Terri Slanovits “Father” by Phillippa Cordwell “Jigar...

New ASA mentorship program winners announced

Tuesday, 7 April 2026
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) has announced the winners of mentorships in the 2026 CA/ASA Developmental Leadership Program. Thirteen creators have won the opportunity to work with an experienced...

DANZ Children’s Book Award 2026 longlists announced

DANZ logo Thursday, 2 April 2026
The 2026 longlists for the Australian School Library Association (ASLA) DANZ (Diversity in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand) Children’s Book Award have been announced. The longlisted titles in each category...

Newcastle Poetry Prize 2026 winners announced

Tuesday, 31 March 2026
The Hunter Writers’ Centre has announced the winners of the 2026 Newcastle Poetry Prize. The winners in each category are: First place ($15,000) Greg McLaren for “Late Sonnets” Second place ($3000)...

Thom wins 2025 Judith Wright Poetry Prize

Photograph of Mia Thom in a hat in front of some green vegetation Tuesday, 24 March 2026
Overland has announced Mia Thom as the winner of the 2025 Judith Wright Poetry Prize, worth $6000, for their poem “go raging”. Thom’s poem, chosen from a shortlist of 8, will...

Campos wins inaugural Kat Muscat Award

Tuesday, 24 March 2026
The inaugural winner of the $1000 Kat Muscat Award is Paula Campos for “Palm Trees, Piercings and a More Lowkey, Chill Place to Live”, which appeared in Voiceworks #136 “Quits!”. This year, the...

Australian Book Design Awards 2026 shortlists announced

Monday, 23 March 2026
The shortlists for the 2026 Australian Book Design Awards, presented by the Australian Book Designers Association (ABDA), have been announced. Shortlisted works in each category are: Best designed general fiction...

Woldeyes awarded new travel fellowship

Monday, 23 March 2026
Poet and storyteller Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes will appear at national and international writers festivals this year as the recipient of a new travel fellowship supported by the Barton Family Foundation. The...

NZ Booklovers Awards 2026 winners announced

Thursday, 19 March 2026
In Aotearoa New Zealand, the winners of the 2026 NZ Booklovers Awards have been announced. The winning titles in each category are: Best Adult Fiction Book Softly Calls the Devil...

Martin wins 2026 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship

Photo of Jennifer Martin. Wednesday, 18 March 2026
The 2026 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship has been awarded to Jennifer Martin, who receives $20,000 for her proposed biography of Australian journalist Eva Sommer. In 1956 then 22-year-old Sommer beat...

Penguin Literary Prize 2026 shortlist announced

Five people sitting on chairs on a stage Thursday, 12 March 2026
Penguin Random House Australia (PRH) has announced the shortlist for the 2026 Penguin Literary Prize. The shortlisted manuscripts are: “An Allergy” by Sunil Badami (Sydney, NSW) – “‘An Allergy’ explores...

Stella Prize 2026 longlist announced

Covers of the Stella Prize longlist titles on a green background Thursday, 12 March 2026
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...

Local authors on 2026 British Book Awards shortlists 

Cover of "Careless People". Tuesday, 10 March 2026
The late Australian author Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Aotearoa New Zealand’s Sarah Wynn-Williams are among the writers and illustrators shortlisted for this year’s British Book Awards (also known as the...

Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize 2025 shortlist released

Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize logo. Tuesday, 10 March 2026
The shortlist for the 2025 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize has been announced. The 8 shortlisted stories, chosen from more than 500 entries, are: “Many Small Violences” by Arden Baker “Two...

ASAL 2026 fellows announced

ASAL logo. Thursday, 5 March 2026
The Association for the Study of Australian Literature (ASAL) has announced its two writers’ fellowships for 2026 in association with the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund. This year’s fellows are: Western...

McConaghy longlisted for 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction

the cover of "Wild Dark Shore" Thursday, 5 March 2026
Local author Charlotte McConaghy is on the longlist for this year’s UK-based Women’s Prize for Fiction. McConachy’s Wild Dark Shore (Penguin) “expertly conveys the awe-inspiring majesty of the extreme climate...

Ockham 2026 shortlists announced

Wednesday, 4 March 2026
The shortlists for this year’s Ockham New Zealand Book Awards have been announced. The titles in each category are: Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction All Her Lives (Ingrid Horrocks,...

“Security Questions” wins Poetry in Translation Prize

Osdany Morales and Harry Bauld_Credit Hajoon Pong Monday, 2 March 2026
Osdany Morales’s Security Questions, translated from the Spanish by Harry Bauld, is the inaugural winner of the Poetry in Translation Prize, co-awarded by Giramondo. Shortlisted under the translated title of...

NZ Booklovers Awards 2026 shortlists announced

Cover of Dominic Hoey’s '1985'. Wednesday, 25 February 2026
In Aotearoa New Zealand, the 2026 NZ Booklovers Awards shortlists have been announced. Shortlisted titles include: Best Adult Fiction Book 1985 (Dominic Hoey, Penguin) A Beautiful Family (Jennifer Trevelyan, A&U)...

MidnightSun announces inaugural Picture Book Prize shortlist

An image of the MidnightSun picture book proze logo. Tuesday, 24 February 2026
MidnightSun Publishing has announced the shortlist for its inaugural picture book prize. Shortlisted works are: “An Excellent Hat” (Linda Brucesmith) “The Tinker’s Light” (Ashling Kwok) “The Battle of the Beast”...

Aurealis Award 2025 winners announced

Cover of 'Little Bones' Monday, 23 February 2026
The winners of the 2025 Aurealis Awards for science fiction, fantasy and horror writing have been announced at GenreCon in Brisbane. Winning titles in each category, chosen from shortlists announced...

Leavy wins 2026 Peter Porter Poetry Prize

Photo of Cheryl Leavy. Monday, 23 February 2026
Cheryl Leavy has won the 2026 Peter Porter Poetry Prize for her poem “Kumanjayi”. Presented by the Australian Book Review (ABR) and worth $6000, the prize honours the life and work...