The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards acknowledge the contribution of Australian literature to the nation’s cultural and intellectual life.

643 entries were received across six literary categories: fiction, non-fiction, young adult literature, children’s literature, poetry, and Australian history. The winners and shortlisted authors will share in a tax-free prize pool of $600,000 – the highest literary prize in the nation. Each shortlisted entry will receive $5,000 with the winner of each category receiving $80,000. Expert judging panels have carefully considered entries for the awards and have made the final decision regarding the shortlists.

Fiction

• The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane
• Losing Face by George Haddad
• Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
• Other Houses by Paddy O'Reilly
• The Lovers by Yumna Kassab

Nonfiction

• Shirley Hazzard: A Writing Life by Brigitta Olubus
• We Come with This Place by Debra Dank
• Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong by Louisa Lim
• My Father and Other Animals: How I Took on the Family Farm by Sam Vincent
• A World in a Shell: Snail Stories for a Time of Extinctions by Thom van Dooren

Australian History

• Elizabeth and John: The Macarthurs of Elizabeth Farm by Alan Atkinson
• Justice in Kelly Country by Lachlan Strahan
• Saving the Reef by Rohan Lloyd
• Black Lives, White Law by Russell Marks
• Unmaking Angas Downs by Shannyn Palmer

Poetry

• At the Altar of Touch by Gavin Yuan Gao
• Harvest Lingo by Lionel Fogarty
• Exactly As I Am by Rae White
• The Jaguar by Sarah Holland-Batt
• Clean by Scott-Patrick Mitchell

Young Adult Literature

• Sugar by Carly Nugent
• Ask No Questions by Eva Collins
• The Upwelling by Lystra Rose
• What We All Saw by Mike Lucas
• The Greatest Thing by Sarah Winifred Searle

Children's Literature

• The Dunggiirr Brother and the Caring Song of the Whale by Aunty Shaa Smith
• Zadie Ma and the Dog Who Chased the Moon by Gabrielle Wang
• Open Your Heart to Country by Jasmine Seymour
• 11 Words for Love by Randa Abdel-Fattah & Maxine Beneba Clarke
• My Strange, Shrinking Parents by Zeno Sworder

Winners of the 2023 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards will be announced on Thursday 16 November at the National Library of Australia in Canberra. Read more about the awards here.