ARA Historical Novel Prize 2026 longlists

Historical Novel Society Australasia published the 2026 ARA Historical Novel Prize longlists on September 2, setting out 15 books across its Adult and Children & Young Adult divisions. The prize, backed by ARA Group, carries total prize money of A$155,000 and is billed by the organizers as the richest individual literary prize in Australasia. Books+Publishing and HNSA both said the longlists cover historical fiction from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. The official prize page says shortlists will be announced on September 23 and winners on October 15. ### How big is this prize, exactly? The ARA Historical Novel Prize offers A$100,000 to the Adult winner and A$30,000 to the Children & Young Adult winner, with the remaining shortlisted writers receiving A$5,000 each. HNSA says the award is open to Australian and New Zealand historical novelists and covers both an Adult category and a Children and Young Adult category. (booksandpublishing.com.au) Artshub reported that the longlist consists of nine Adult titles and six Children & Young Adult titles. That brings the total field to 15 books in contention this year. ### What kind of books made the 2026 longlist? HNSA said the selected books “span millennia, from Ancient Egypt through to the 1975 Dismissal.” The organization said the range includes stories involving jewel heists, bushrangers, gold fever, overlooked LGBTQI history, sea myths and folklore, with strong female perspectives across several titles. (hnsa.org.au) (artshub.com.au) Artshub said the list also includes reimagined versions of historical figures including Cleopatra, Henry Lawson, Alexander Selkirk and Nancy Wake. Under the prize rules, eligible novels must have most of their story set more than 50 years in the past. ### Who is judging the 2026 field? (hnsa.org.au) Linda Funnell chairs the Adult judging panel, with David Whish-Wilson, Renée Otmar, Robyn Cadwallader and Theresa Smith serving as panellists, according to Artshub. Sophie Masson chairs the Children & Young Adult panel, joined by Bec Kavanagh and Stacy Gregg. (artshub.com.au) Elisabeth Storrs, chair of HNSA, said the 2026 longlist shows historical fiction connecting the past with contemporary concerns. Storrs said the selected novels illuminate “forgotten, erased or neglected histories” through themes including love, power, resistance and survival. ### Which recent winners set the benchmark for this year’s field? (artshub.com.au) Artshub said recent winners include Robbie Arnott’s *Dusk* and Tasma Walton’s *I Am Nannertgarrook* in 2025, Melissa Lucashenko’s *Edenglassie* in 2024, Gail Jones’ *Salonika Burning* in 2023 and Tom Keneally’s *Corporal Hitler’s Pistol* in 2022. The outlet also noted YA author Katrina Nannestad won in 2021 for *We Are Wolves* and again in 2022 for *Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief*. (artshub.com.au) Books+Publishing’s September 2 report confirmed that the 2026 longlists were released in both categories, though the full article is subscriber-only. HNSA and secondary coverage match on the structure, timing and scale of the prize. ### What happens next in the 2026 prize calendar? (artshub.com.au) The official ARA Historical Novel Prize page lists September 23 for the shortlist announcement and October 15 for the winners announcement. Readers looking for the complete longlists can find them through HNSA coverage and the September 2 Books+Publishing report. (hnsa.org.au) (booksandpublishing.com.au)