The Historical Novel Society Australasia is recognised as the home of the historical fiction genre in Australasia as the third arm of the international Historical Novel Society. The society considers the genre provides entertainment and education to readers while offering a valid perspective beyond the viewpoint of the historian. Both the imagination and dedication of historical novelists create authentic worlds which can enrich a reader’s understanding of real historical personages, eras and events.
The ARA Historical Novel Prize is the richest genre-based literary award in Australasia, thanks to our Foundation Partner, the ARA Group. The Prize incorporates a category for outstanding Children and Young Adult (CYA) literature, in addition to the Adult category. As such, after just three years of operation, the ARA Historical Novel Prize is worth a total of $100,000 in prize monies. The Prize awards $50,000 to the Adult category winner, with an additional $5,000 awarded to each of the remaining two shortlisted authors. In the CYA category, the winner receives $30,000, while the two short listers receive $5,000 each. Entries are now open for the 2023 ARA Historical Novel Prize, and will close at 5pm (AEST) on 14 June 2023. For more information about the 2023 Prize, subscribe to our newsletter.
Join us for the HNSA 2023 Winter Online Program on Saturday 1 July 2023 and Sunday 2 July 2023. Our Program will feature an exciting line-up of authors and industry professionals, in both workshops and chat salons. It’s the perfect way to spend those chilly July days. Our workshops will cover topics from Writing Family History and Parallel Narrative Page Turners, through to Writing Children and Young Adult Historical Fiction and Making the Research Disappear. You can get to know authors a little better in our chat salons, focused on topics like the history of food and fashion, dialogue and vernacular, and researching lost colonial histories.
Save the date of 20 – 21 October for the 2023 HNSA Conference. We’re excited to once again be able to rub shoulders with our historical fiction community. The event will be held at the Southern Sydney Events Centre at Hurstville, conveniently located close to Sydney Airport and Hurstville Station. The event is a combined in-person and online affair with sessions being live streamed. Both in-person and virtual audiences will have on demand access to the entire program for 3 months after conference ends. We’re thrilled our Guests of Honour are Melissa Lucashenko, Anna Funder, Judy Nunn and Tom Keneally.
Early bird tickets will go on sale in July.
The HNSA promotes the writing, reading and publication of historical fiction, especially in Australia and New Zealand, through its biennial conferences held since 2015. Our events showcase the best literary talent and enable readers, writers and publishing professionals to celebrate the genre.
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The inauguration of the ARA Historical Novel Prize is the crown jewel in HNSA’s suite of literary contests.
HNSA also runs the the Elizabeth Jane Corbett Mentorship for Young Adult historical novelists.
Our latest catch up podcast from selected sessions of the 2021 HNSA Conference features our 2023 Winter Online Program tutor, Paula Morris, in conversation with Julie Janson and Cassandra Pybus. They discuss how history is written by the victors, but when such accounts are challenged, who then gets to define history in the context of
HNSA’s podcast Imagining the Past is back for a special Summertime Series in 2023. Our next episode features our Winter Workshop tutor Kayte Nunn, author Rosalie Ham and host Jackie Ballantyne. Jackie Ballantyne explores how each author approaches common themes of revenge, love, betrayal, isolation and treachery from these very different perspectives. Kayte NunnKayte Nunn is a former book and
Drum roll… our 2023 HNSA Conference will be held on 21-22 October at the Southern Sydney Event Centre at Hurstville, conveniently located close to Sydney Airport and Hurstville Station. Early bird tickets will go on sale in July. Make sure you save the date! THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS We’ve decided to offer
Historical Novel Society
