2026 NSW Literary Awards Shortlist & Highly Commended
The State Library of NSW today announced the shortlisted works for the 2025 NSW Literary Awards.
We're pleased to announce that the following UQP books have been Shortlisted in the 2026 NSW Literary Awards:
- Little Bones by Sandy Binga – for the Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature
- Discipline by Randa Abdel-Fattah – for the Multicultural NSW Award
- Long Yarn Short by Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts – for the Indigenous Writers' Prize and UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing
The following work has been highly commended in the Multicultural NSW Award category of the NSW Literary Awards 2026:
- Shapeshifting, edited by Jeanine Leane and Ellen van Neerven
Congratulations to the incredible writers who have been shortlisted in the 2026 NSW Literary Awards.
This year, a total of $360,000 in prize money will be awarded across 12 categories, with the University of Sydney People’s Choice Award now increased to $10,000 (from $5,000) — the winner is chosen by public vote.
Minister for the Arts, the Honourable John Graham, MLC said: “For decades this award has recognised many writers that have gone on to become national treasures. We hope today’s acknowledgement helps inspire another generation of literary stars.”
State Librarian Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon said: “Every reader knows the feeling of discovering a book that will live on in their minds. Through the support of our Government, I’m delighted to present readers with such works in this year’s shortlists for the NSW Literary Awards.”
Senior Judge Dr Bernadette Brennan said: “Many of this year’s shortlisted texts invite us to think deeply about trauma and violence. Through broad-ranging voices and forms these works engage with personal loss and grief and the destructive forces of climate change, colonialism, displacement and identity politics. And they do so with beauty, grace, authority and hope.”
The winners of the NSW Literary Awards will be announced at the start of the Sydney Writers’ Festival on Monday 18 May 2025.
Read more via the State Library NSW website.
