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
