The longlists for the 2026 ARA Historical Novel Prize have been announced, with nine novels nominated in the Adult category and six in the Children & Young Adult category.
The prize, administered by the Historical Novel Society Australasia, has a total prize pool of $155,000, making it one of the richest individual literary prize in the region after the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards.
The 15 titles in contention cover tales of jewel heists, bushrangers, gold fever and overlooked queer histories. The list also includes reimagined accounts of historical figures including Cleopatra, Henry Lawson, Alexander Selkirk and Nancy Wake.
The award recognises historical fiction by Australian and New Zealand writers. To be eligible, novels must have the majority of their story set more than 50 years in the past.
2026 ARA Historical Novel Prize – quick links
2026 ARA Historical Novel Prize longlist
This year’s judging panels comprise industry professionals and prominent historical novelists. The Adult category is chaired by Linda Funnell, with panellists David Whish-Wilson, Renée Otmar, Robyn Cadwallader and Theresa Smith. The Children & Young Adult category is chaired by Sophie Masson, with panellists Bec Kavanagh and Stacy Gregg.
HNSA Chair Elisabeth Storrs said the longlist demonstrates the ability of historical fiction to connect the past with contemporary concerns.
She added that the selected novels show ‘the power of historical novels to bring history to life with themes of love, power, resistance and survival that resonate with modern readers by illuminating forgotten, erased or neglected histories.’
Winners will be announced in October. The Adult winner will receive $100,000, while the other two shortlisted authors will each receive $5000. The Children & Young Adult winner will receive $30,000, with the two other shortlisted authors again receiving $5,000.
Previous winners of the ARA Historical Novel Prize include Robbie Arnott’s Dusk and Tasma Walton’s I Am Nannertgarrook (2025), Melissa Lucashenko’s Edenglassie (2024), Gail Jones’ Salonika Burning (2023), Tom Keneally’s Corporal Hitler’s Pistol (2022), and YA author and two-time winner Katrina Nannestad for We Are Wolves (2021) and Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief (2022).
Adult
- Bernice Barry, The Names of a Hare
- Jeffery Buchanan, The Birds Began to Sing
- Lauren Keegan, The Woman in the Seal Skin
- Lauren Keenan, The Other Catherine
- Wayne Marshall, Henry Goes Bush
- Fiona Kelly McGregor, The Trap
- Heather Rose, A Great Act of Love
- Allison Rushby, Slashed Beauties
- Francesca de Tores, Cast Away: Or, the Surprising Adventures of Alexander Selkirk
The judging panel for the Adult category said the entries offered an ‘exhilarating range’ of historical periods and settings, with a particular focus on lesser-known histories.
The judges highlighted novels exploring the experiences of people who came to colonial-era Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand, queer histories, and the ways cultural misunderstandings can transform history into myth.
Children & Young Adult
- Meg Caddy, A Flash in the Dust
- Jackie French, Cleopatra: The Girl Who Would Be King
- Maria Gill, A Flame in the Dark
- Claire Hallifax, A House Divided
- Lucie Stevens, Nanny Tobbins and the Midnight Plan
- Sue Whiting, Hill End Gold
The judges for the Children and Young Adult Prize similarly praised the diversity of the longlist, which they said explores historical flashpoints through perspectives that young readers can relate to. The six novels encompass themes including love, adventure, fear, mystery and controversy, alongside supernatural elements.
Voting opens for Readers’ Choice Award
Alongside the longlist, HNSA has opened voting for the second annual Readers’ Choice Award. HNSA newsletter subscribers can vote for their favourite Adult-category novel, with the winning author to receive $5000.
The inaugural Readers’ Choice Award was won by Emily Maguire in 2025 for her novel, Rapture.
