The 2025 Stella Prize longlist has been released! The annual literary award celebrating women and non-binary writers of both fiction and non-fiction is named after Australian author Stella Miles Franklin.
Past winners include some of my favourite books on recent years:
On 4 March 2025, the longlist was revealed with 12 nominees. I have already read two of the books and loved them, and others are on my wish list.
The 2025 longlist is as follows:
This debut novel focuses on Aliyah and her daughter Sakina who move from the city to rural New South Wales to start a new life. Here she takes in others who have also been displaced. Abdu is a junior medical doctor who has been published in various publications and collections. She is the recipient of the Dal Stivens Award and the Patricia Hackett Prize.
Manisha Anjali - Naag Mountain
A debut collection of poetry by Indo-Fijian poet Manisha Anjali. Her work covers themes of displacement, community and history. The judges said 'An incantatory debut collection, Manisha Anjali's Naag Mountain takes its shape in the brilliant language of dreams.' Anjali is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne.
I recently finished this delightful novel about a family coming to terms with grief and isolation. Beautifully written, told from the point of view of each main character, this is a heartwarming and hopeful story. Cheng is a gifted writer and general practitioner. I am so pleased this novel is on the list. My review of The Burrow is available on this blog.
Santilla Chingaipe - Black Convicts: How Slavery Shaped Australia
When Australia was colonised, slaves were among those on the First Fleet in 1788. By 1840 there were 500 slaves in the colony. In this work of non-fiction, historian Chingaipe explores who these slaves were and how the nation's history has been whitewashed.
Michelle de Krester - Theory and Practice
Dylin Hardcastle - A Language of Limbs
Summer 1972 in Newcastle NSW. A teenage girl is in the throws of her first love, desiring her female best friend. Following these women over three decades, during a period where it was dangerous to be openly queer, this novel is about love, friendship and desire. This novel has been optioned for the screen.
I have just finished this wonderful novel and absolutely thrilled it is longlisted. Set in the ninth century, this historical novel is about Agnes, who disguises herself as a man and devotes herself to religious study as a Benedictine monk. Maguire is a phenomenal writer. My review will be posted on this blog shortly.
Amy McQuire - Black Witness
Darumbal and South Sea Islander journalist McQuire's essay collection has been described by the judges as a 'must-read for all engaged citizens, especially journalists who want to represent the fullness of contemporary Australia.
This memoir is about a family from Gaza who fled Palestine to start a new life in Australia. Sabawi shares the story of her parents, and families in similar circumstances, forced to flee their homelands and the intergenerational trauma and displacement that comes with this experience. Sabawi is an author, playwright and poet.
Mykaela Saunders - Always will Be
Set in the Tweed, this collection of short stories reimagines a future in which Goori people have reasserted their sovereignty. She writes of people exerting self-determination and incorporating non-Indigenous people into their communities. Dr Mykaela Saunders is an award winning Koori/Goori and Lebanese author. This collection won the David Unpin award.
In this apocalyptic thriller, Fin and her mother live off the grid in an isolated camp in the Warrambungles. The planet is on the brink of collapsed, fertility rates have dramatically declined and species are becoming extinct. Fin must travel across the Pilliga to a radio tower before time runs out. The judges described this novel as 'an electric and melancholy tale, disturbingly believable but ultimately - and surprisingly - hopeful.' Simpson is an acclaimed novelist and nature writer.
Cher Tan - Peripathetic
This collection of essays is about work, being yourself, being online and much more. The judges write 'Funny and strange and breathing so fast, Peripathetic is a remarkable work. Tan has produced an utterly unique entry in Australian letters.' Born in Singapore, Tan lives in Adelaide and her work has been published widely. This is her first book.
For more information and the complete judges comments, see the Stella Prize website.
I watched the livestream of the longlist announcement and was really disappointed that it had terrible audio and was clearly filmed on someone's phone. It was almost impossible to hear what was being announced. Quite a contrast to the announcements of the Women's Prize, which is so much more professionally done.
This year's list seems like an improvement on recent years where the works were often obscure and unrelatable. I still wish that this focussed primarily on fiction, rather than other genres, but I am pleased to see half the titles are novels.
Of the longlist, the titles I am most interested in are the works by de Krester, Hardcastle, Chingaipe, and Simpson. If I had to pick a shortlist - I would sincerely hope to see Cheng, Maguire and de Krester among those listed.
The Shortlist will be announced on 8 April 2025 with the winner of the $60,000 prize will be announced on 23 May 2025.