UQP titles shortlisted for the 2026 Prime Minister's Literary Awards

Creative Australia has announced the shortlist for the 2026 Prime Minister's Literary Awards, the richest literary prize in the nation. The awards celebrate the exceptional talents of emerging and established Australian writers, illustrators, poets, and historians.

These Awards acknowledge the contribution of Australian literature to the nation’s cultural and intellectual life. This marks the fourth year Creative Australia has delivered the awards, following the release of the Australian Government’s 2023 National Cultural Policy, Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place.  

Creative Australia received a remarkable 673 entries across six literary categories: fiction, non-fiction, young adult literature, children’s literature, poetry, and Australian history. 

Congratulations to the following UQP authors on their nominations across various categories.

Nominated in the children's category

• Little Bones by Sandy Bigna
• Song of a Thousand Seas by Zana Fraillon

Nominated in the poetry category

• The Rot by Evelyn Araluen
• Ghost of Myself by John Kinsella

The winners of the 2026 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards will be announced on Thursday 10 September 2026 at a prestigious ceremony held at the National Library of Australia in Canberra. The Awards offer writers access to Australia’s richest annual literary prizes, offering a total tax-free prize pool of $600,000. Winners receive $80,000 tax-free per category, and up to four shortlisted entries in each category receive $5,000 tax-free.

See the full shortlist and read the judges' comments for each title here.

Congratulations to Sandy, Zana, Evelyn and John.