Queensland Literary Awards Reveal 2026 Shortlist
The shortlist for the 2026 Queensland Literary Awards has been unveiled, with more than $200,000 in prize money set to be awarded across 12 categories celebrating Australia’s leading established authors and emerging literary talent.
Now managed by Brisbane Writers Festival, the awards recognise excellence across fiction, non-fiction, poetry, children’s and young adult literature, while also supporting emerging writers, publishers and Queensland storytellers.
Among this year’s finalists, Dr Debra Dank’s Terraglossia is nominated in both the Queensland Premier’s Award for Work of State Significance and the Non-Fiction Book Award, while Sita Walker’s In a Common Hour has been shortlisted for both the Fiction Book Award and the Lord Mayor of Brisbane’s People’s Choice Queensland Book of the Year Award.
Queensland Literary Awards Director Jackie Ryan said this year’s shortlist showcased the strength and diversity of Australian writing.
“From established hits and heroes to indie breakthroughs and across multiple genres and age groups, this is both a testament to the brilliance of our literary firmament and a timely prompt to get a bigger bookshelf.”
More than 40 per cent of this year’s nominations came from Queensland authors, with the Queensland Premier’s Award for Work of State Significance highlighting books that explore the state’s history, culture and identity.
Brisbane readers will also have the opportunity to vote in the Lord Mayor’s People’s Choice Queensland Book of the Year Award, with finalists including Kathleen Jennings’ Honeyeater, Astrid Jorgensen’s Average At Best, Grantlee Kieza’s Mary Penfold, Ian Kemish’s Two Islands, Frances Whiting’s The Nocturnals and Heather Anderson’s People Powered Radio: Fifty Years of Australian Community Radio Station 4ZZZ, alongside works by Kimberley Freeman, Angie Faye Martin and Sita Walker.
The awards also continue to champion emerging voices through development prizes including the David Unaipon Award for an Emerging Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Writer, the Manuscript Award for an Emerging Queensland Writer, and the Queensland Premier’s awards for young and regional publishers and writers.
The winners will be announced at the Queensland Literary Awards ceremony at Brisbane Powerhouse on Thursday, October 8, as part of the 2026 Brisbane Writers Festival. Award recipients will also appear at the festival’s Winners & Grinners event on October 9.
Voting for the Lord Mayor’s People’s Choice Queensland Book of the Year Award is now open, while tickets for both events go on sale on August 5.