ARA HISTORICAL NOVEL PRIZE SUBMISSIONS OPEN

It’s that time of the year again! The 2026 ARA Historical Novel Prize is open for submissions. The prize provides Australian and New Zealand historical novelists the opportunity to be rewarded and recognised, with the most significant purse for any individual literary prize in Australasia.

The overall prize pool is now $155,000 with the Adult category winner receiving $100,000, the CYA winner scoring $30,000, and our Readers’ Choice winner bagging $5,000. All shortlisters in both categories receive $5,000 each.

Don’t miss your chance to join the ranks of winning novelists such as Tom Keneally, Mirandi Riwoe, Jock Serong, Gail Jones, Melissa Lucashenko, Robbie Arnott, Tasma Walton, Emily Maguire, Suzanne Leal and Katrina Nannestad.

The Awards are open to novels in which the majority of the narrative must have taken place at least 50 years before publication. The eligibility period applies to novels published between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026.

Longlisted books in the Adult category are eligible for the Readers’ Choice Award.

Key Dates:

·        Entries Open: 18 March at 9 am AEDT

·        Entries Close: 17 June at 5pm AEST

·        Longlists Announced: 2 September

·        Shortlists Announced: 23 September

·        Winners Announced: 15 October

For further information: https://hnsa.org.au/ara-historical-novel-prize/