The shortlist has been selected for the 2026 Stella Prize, awarded to "the most excellent, original, and outstanding book written by an Australian woman or non-binary writer." The winner, who will be named on May 13, receives A$60,000 (about US$42,290), while each of the shortlisted authors gets A$5,000 (about A$3,525). This year's shortlisted titles are:
The Rot by Evelyn Araluen (poetry)
Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks (nonfiction/memoir)
Fireweather by Miranda Darling (fiction)
Cannon by Lee Lai (graphic novel)
58 Facets: On Violence and the Law by Marika Sosnowski (nonfiction)
I Am Nannertgarrook by Tasma Walton (fiction)
Fiona Sweet, Stella Prize CEO and creative director, said, "The books contained in this year's Stella Prize shortlist remind us that women and non-binary writers contain multitudes. These six books contain big stories and little stories. Big stories that challenge and delight readers, and introduce ideas that dismantle the very structures we take as fact. There are also little stories, small, tender, sensitive and beautiful moments that reflect on personhood, gender, relationships, trauma and loss. These little stories intimately stay with us long after finishing reading a book. There are many forms of stories in this list, from a graphic novel, poetry and prose, to memoir and non-fiction, which showcase the incredible caliber within these genres. I hope you enjoy these big and small worlds that these books generously welcome us into just as much as I did."