THE RICHEST LITERARY PRIZE IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
WITH $150,000 PRIZE MONIES
2024 ARA HISTORICAL NOVEL PRIZE IS OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS
With prize money of $150,000, the ARA Historical Novel Prize gives Australian and New Zealand historical novelists the chance to be recognised in a class of their own, with the most significant prize purse for literature in Australasia. The Prize incorporates both an Adult category and a category for Children and Young Adult (CYA).
The ARA Historical Novel Prize now awards $100,000 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 received $30,000, while the two short listers received $5,000 each.
The ARA Historical Novel Prize has been made possible by the generosity of our Foundation Partner, ARA Group. The ARA Group, and its Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Edward Federman, are committed to supporting the arts and literature. They do this in a number of ways – as a Principal Partner of the Sydney Writers’ Festival, the Melbourne Writers Festival, the National Institute of Dramatic Art, the Monkey Baa Theatre, and the Story Factory– and now as the sponsor of this very significant literary prize.
Key Dates for 2024
- Early Bird Entries Open: 10 April – Entry fee $50
- Early Bird Entries Close: 7 May
- General Entries Open: 8 May – Entry fee $80
- Entries Close: 12 June at 5pm
- Longlists Announced: 4 September
- Shortlists Announced: 25 September
- Winners Announced: 17 October
Enter ‘Adult Category’ Now >
Enter ‘CYA Category’ Now >
DEFINITION OF HISTORICAL FICTION
The ARA Historical Novel Prize (the Prize) is only for published historical novels, that is, novels written in the Historical Fiction genre based on the following definition:
The definition of the genre set by the Historical Novel Society Australasia (HNSA) is a novel in which the majority of the narrative, ie more than 50% of the events described, has taken place at least 50 years before publication.
Historical sub-genres considered to be historical fiction include historical mystery, historical romance, and historical fantasy and alternate history. Time-slip novels, multiple-time period novels, and parallel narrative novels are also considered historical fiction with flexibility to crossover between eras stretching from 50 years or more in the past until contemporary times provided more than 50% of the events described take place at least 50 years before publication.
DEFINITION OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT HISTORICAL FICTION
Children and Young Adult historical fiction acceptable for the purposes of the ARA Historical Novel Prize include novels written for age groups stretching from middle primary to end of high school with a minimum. Picture books, graphic novels, narrative non-fiction, and non-fiction are excluded. Novels may include illustrations.
RULES
View the 2024 Adult Prize rules >
View the 2024 CYA Prize rules >
THE 2024 JUDGES
The judging panels include:
Adult Category: Tony Maniaty (Chair), Catherine Chidgey, Michael Williams, Sienna Brown and Meenakshi Bharat
CYA Category: Anna Ciddor (Chair), Lystra Rose and Danielle Clode
For further information about each of the judges, visit: Judging Panels for the 2024 ARA Historical Novel Prize.
For more information on both categories email arahistnovelprize@gmail.com
Join our mailing list to stay up to date with news of the contest.
PAST PRIZE WINNERS
Catch up on past prize winners by clicking the tiles below.
About Ara Group
The ARA Group provides essential services for facilities and infrastructure throughout Australia and New Zealand. ARA takes pride in their engagement within the community through the ARA Endowment Fund. The fund is committed to making a meaningful difference by donating 100% of its annual interest earnings to The Go Foundation, The Indigenous Literacy Foundation, and The David Lynch Foundation.
Since 2017, the ARA Group has sponsored the Historical Novel Society Australasia’s biennial conferences. ARA is Principal Partner of the Sydney Writers’ Festival, the Melbourne Writers Festival, the National Institute of Dramatic Art, the Monkey Baa Theatre and the Story Factory, and Crown Sponsor of the Taronga Zoo.
About the Historical Novel Society Australasia
The Historical Novel Society Australasia is the third arm of the international Historical Novel Society, and is recognised as the home of the historical fiction genre in Australasia. The Society 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.
The inauguration of the ARA Historical Novel Prize is the crown jewel in HNSA’s suite of literary contests. HNSA also runs the HNSA First Pages Pitch Contest, the Colleen McCullough Residency held on Norfolk Island and the Elizabeth Jane Corbett Mentorship for authors of Young Adult historical fiction.
