The 2026 Stella Prize Shortlist has been announced! The twelve nominees on the longlist have been whittled down to six finalists in the running for this important literary award.
The 2026 shortlist is as follows:- Evelyn Araluen - The Rot
- Geraldine Brooks - Memorial Days
- Miranda Darling - Fairweather
- Lee Lai - Cannon
- Marika Sosnowski - 58 Facets
- Tasma Walton - I am Nannertgarrook
Fiona Sweet, CEO and Creative Director of the Stella Prize, said of the shortlist:
"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 calibre 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."
If I had to guess a winner, I reckon Brooks is in with a shot for her memoir of grief at the loss of her husband. Araluen is a previous winner, so I am not sure she would be awarded twice in a short period. The other title I am interested in is the book by Walton, about novel recreating stories of the Boonwurrung. I will be seeing Walton at the Sydney Writers' Festival in May.
The winner will be announced on 13 May 2026.