The 2026 shortlist is as follows:
- Susan Choi - Flashlight
- Addie E Citchens - Dominion
- Virginia Evans - The Correspondent
- Marcia Hutchinson - The Mercy Step
- Rozie Kelly - Kingfisher
- Lily King - Heart the Lover
The chair of the judges, former Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard said of this shortlist:
"We are delighted to present a shortlist that doesn’t shy away from examining life’s challenges, but also brings many moments of joy. As judges, we are first and foremost readers, and these novels intrigued and profoundly moved us. The plot lines kept us turning pages to find out what happens next, the characters found a place in our hearts and the stories stayed with us long after the last sentence. The incredible strength of the longlist challenged and delighted us, as we whittled down 16 books to this exceptional shortlist. We are proud to support the Women’s Prize Trust’s mission of championing women’s creativity, established and new. With over half of the shortlist represented by debut novelists and independent publishers, we are spotlighting talented emerging writers as well as showcasing the best of known and much loved authors."
My thoughts on the Shortlist
When I wrote my previous post on the longlist, I guessed that the following books would be shortlisted.
Flashlight, Audition, The Correspondent, and A Guardian and a Thief, to be among those listed. Well, I got two of them right! I am really happy that Heart the Lover and The Correspondent made the list, but a bit disappointed that Charlotte McConaghy's Wild Dark Shore didn't make the cut.
Next month I will be seeing Susan Choi and Lily King at the Sydney Writers' Festival.
The winner will be revealed on 11 June 2026. Happy reading!
Want more Shortlist fun? Here are the judges announcing the shortlist.