The shortlists for the 2026 ABIAs (Australian Book Industry Awards) have been announced! The ABIAs have been celebrating Australian writers and publishers for more than twenty years, honouring books across a number of genres and age groups.
The winners in each of the fourteen categories will be announced at the award ceremony on Thursday 21 May, and an overall Book of the Year Award will then be chosen from the winners of each category. Discover a selection of the 2026 shortlists below, or find the full list here.
Literary Fiction Book of the Year shortlist
I Want Everything by Dominic Amerena
Chosen Family by Madeleine Gray
Pissants by Brandon Jack
Tenderfoot by Toni Jordan
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
Eros by Zoe Terakes
General Fiction Book of the Year shortlist
Last One Out by Jane Harper
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey
The Unquiet Grave by Dervla McTiernan
One Hundred Years of Betty by Debra Oswald
The Detective by Matthew Reilly
The Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year
I Want Everything by Dominic Amerena
The Heir Apparent by Rebecca Armitage
Very Impressive for Your Age by Eleanor Kirk
Melaleuca by Angie Faye Martin
Wait Here by Lucy Nelson
Eros by Zoe Terakes
General Non-fiction Book of the Year shortlist
Conspiracy Nation by Ariel Bogle & Cam Wilson
The Power of Choice by Neale Daniher
The Mushroom Tapes: Conversations on a Triple Murder Trial by Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein
The Australian Wars by Rachel Perkins, Mina Murray, Stephen Gapps & Henry Reynolds
Broken Brains by Jamila Rizvi & Rosie Waterland
She Shapes History by Sita Sargeant
Biography Book of the Year shortlist
Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks
Average at Best by Astrid Jorgensen
Always Home, Always Homesick by Hannah Kent
Guts by Melissa Leong
Destination Moon by Kate Reid
Gather Up Your World in One Long Breath by S. Shakthidharan
Social Impact Book of the Year shortlist
The Power of Choice by Neale Daniher
The Power of Choice by Julian Kingma
A Piece of Red Cloth by Leonie Norrington, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Djawa Burarrwanga & Djawundil Maymuru
The Australian Wars by Rachel Perkins, Mina Murray, Stephen Gapps & Henry Reynolds
Gather Up Your World in One Long Breath by S. Shakthidharan
Eros by Zoe Terakes
Small Publishers’ Adult Book of the Year shortlist
The Rot by Evelyn Araluen
Defiance by Bob Brown
Ankami by Debra Dank
Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place by Kate Grenville
Nock Loose by Patrick Marlborough
A Savage Turn by Luke Patterson
Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year shortlist
Hello Cocky by Hilary Bell, illustrated by Antonia Pesenti
Little Bones by Sandy Bigna
Sundays Under the Lemon Tree by Julia Busuttil Nishimura, illustrated by Myo Yim
The First Sunrise by Vanessa Stevens, illustrated by Paul Seden
Between by Anna Walker
Ningaloo: Australia’s Wild Wonder by Tim Winton, illustrated by Cindy Lane
Book of the Year for Older Children shortlist
This Dream Will Devour Us by Emma Clancey
Cruel Is the Light by Sophie Clark
A Murder Is Going Down by Kate Emery
This Stays Between Us by Margot McGovern
Wandering Wild by Lynette Noni
Sonny & Tess by Nova Weetman
Book of the Year for Younger Children shortlist
There’s a Prawn in Parliament House by Annabel Crabb, illustrated by First Dog on the Moon
Spirit of the Crocodile by Aaron Fa'Aoso & Michelle Scott Tucker, with Lyn White
The Wicked Ship (Oceanforged, Book 1) by Amelia Mellor, illustrated by Alessia Trunfio
Mega Rich Guinea Pigs by Kate & Jol Temple
Caution! This Book Contains Deadly Reptiles by Corey Tutt, illustrated by Ben Williams
Inked by Karen Wasson, illustrated by Jake A. Minton
Children’s Picture Book of the Year shortlist
How to Help When You Really Want to Help by Davina Bell, illustrated by Hilary Jean Tapper
Dropbear by Philip Bunting
Here Come the Cousins by Maggie Hutchings, illustrated by Sarah Zweck
The Train at the End of My Street by Tom Jellett
Where Would You Go? by Alison Lester & Jane Godwin
Once I was a Giant by Zeno Sworder
See the shortlists for all fourteen ABIA categories here.
