2026 ACT Book of the Year Nominations
Nominations for the 2026 ACT Book of the Year closed on 31 March 2026.
ACT Book of the Year Award
The ACT Government offers an ACT Book of the Year Award for excellence in literature, valued at $10,000 for the winner, $2,000 for any highly commended book and $1,000 for each shortlisted book. The Award aims to support the development of ACT-based writers, promotes writing in the ACT, and contributes to a positive writing culture for the ACT. The ACT Book of the Year Award recognises quality contemporary literary works including fiction, non-fiction and poetry by ACT-based authors published in the previous calendar year. The ACT Book of the Year Award is for books written by authors who reside in the ACT or can specifically and strongly demonstrate an ACT-based arts practice.
Books are considered by an independent judging panel, which recommends a shortlist and winning author to the Minister for Business, Arts and Creative Industries. Previous literary contributions by the author may be taken into consideration during the judging process. All decisions are final and no discussion or correspondence will be entered into regarding the judging process. The ACT Government reserves the right not to accept a nomination.
2025 ACT Book of the Year
Four books were shortlisted for the 2025 ACT Book of the Year Award that showcase powerful storytelling across memoir, non-fiction, and historical reflection. Warra Warra Wai was awarded the 2025 ACT Book of the Year at an event as part of the Canberra Writers Festival on 24 October 2025 at the National Library of Australia.
Winner - Warra Warra Wai by Darren Rix & Craig Cormick
For the first time, the First Nations story of Cook’s arrival, and what blackfellas want everyone to know about the coming of Europeans. Both 250 years late and extremely timely, this is an account of what First Nations people saw and felt when James Cook navigated their shores in 1770. The judges described Warra Warra Wai as ‘a profoundly important and timely work that offers a unique lens on history, land, and identity through a First Nations perspective.’
Highly Commended - Lebanon Days by Theodore Ell
From 2018 to 2021, writer and researcher Theodore Ell accompanied his wife on her diplomatic posting to Lebanon and unexpectedly found himself a witness to a country on the brink of collapse. The judges described Lebanon Days as 'a lyrical, deeply reflective work that will captivate readers with its poetic precision and emotional resonance.'
Shortlisted - Model Minority Gone Rogue by Qin Qin
At 23, Qin Qin was an unhappy overachiever working for a prestigious law firm. So she quit. She didn't know what else was out there, but she wanted to find out. She changed paths, changed countries, changed her entire view of what the world could be, and who she could be. Judges described Model Minority Gone Rogue as a bold, genre-bending work that defies convention with its hybrid, modern style and unflinching honesty.
Shortlisted - Stories My Grandmothers Didn’t Tell Me by Andra Putnis
When she breaks an unspoken family code not to dig too deeply into the past, Andra is plunged into the bleak world of the Soviet and Nazi occupations of Latvia in World War II, and the secret lives of her grandmothers. The judges appreciated Andra's ability to balance traumatic and haunting events with light, humour and reflection.
Previous winning nominations to the ACT Book of the Year Award (page hosted by Libraries ACT).
Book of the Year Award - Conditions of entry
Nominations must meet the ACT Book of the Year Award eligibility requirements and the Conditions of Entry listed below.
- Nominations will only be accepted from the author or their publisher.
- The nominated book must have been published in English for the first time in the previous year, between 1 January and 31 December 2025 (the publication date is taken as the date printed in the book).
- The nominated book must have been written by an author who resides in the ACT or can strongly demonstrate a current ACT-based arts practice.
- Only one book per author may be nominated.
- For co-authored books, at least one author must reside in the ACT. All authors must agree to the nomination.
- Only the co-author/s who reside in or have a connection to Canberra are eligible to receive any award.
- The following books will not be considered: anthologies, military studies, photography books, instruction manuals, university theses, bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, professional reference titles, guide books, catalogues, personal growth books, lifestyle or hobby books, educational text books and books entirely generated by AI.
- Young Adult and Children’s books are eligible for nomination.
- E-books and books primarily published electronically are eligible as long as they are also available in PDF format to provide to judges.
- The nomination form must be submitted online through SmartyGrants before the deadline.
- Four copies of the nominated title need to be supplied to artsACT.
- If you send the books by post, they must be postmarked on or before the closing date.
- Postal address:
ATTN: artsACT
GPO Box 158
CANBERRA ACT 2601 - If delivering in person at 220 London Circuit, Canberra, please contact artsACT on (02) 6207 2384 or email artsACT@act.gov.au in advance to arrange a delivery time.
- artsACT will determine eligibility but may seek the advice of the judging panel or clarification from the nominator. The decision of artsACT is final.
- Copies of nominated books received will be donated to Libraries ACT. Books will not be returned to the author or publisher.
- Copies of the shortlisted and winning books will be used to promote the Award and the authors.
- If an event is held to announce the shortlisted and winning books, the shortlisted authors may be invited to attend.
For further information on the ACT Book of the Year Award, please contact artsACT on (02) 6207 2384 or email artsACT@act.gov.au