The 2026 Miles Franklin Literary Award Longlist Announced
The prize, which awards $60,000 for the novel of the highest literary merit that presents Australian life in any of its phases, was first awarded in 1957.
The longlist for the 2026 Miles Franklin Literary Award has been announced. The shortlist is scheduled to be released in June, with the winner to be named in August.
The Longlist
Ten novels have been selected, including four debut works:
- Randa Abdel-Fattah, Discipline (University of Queensland Press)
- Dominic Amerena, I Want Everything (Summit Books)
- Lyn Dickens, Salt Upon the Water (Wakefield Press)
- Toni Jordan, Tenderfoot (Hachette Australia)
- Steve MinOn, First Name Second Name (University of Queensland Press)
- Konrad Muller, My Heart at Evening (Evercreech Editions)
- Omar Musa, Fierceland (Penguin Random House Australia)
- Josephine Rowe, Little World (Black Inc)
- Madeleine Watts, Elegy, Southwest (Ultimo Press)
- Sean Wilson, You Must Remember This (Affirm Press)
Judging Panel
The panel is chaired by Richard Neville, Mitchell Librarian at the State Library of NSW, and includes literary scholars Jumana Bayeh, Mridula Nath Chakraborty, Tony Hughes-d'Aeth, and Maggie Nolan.
Publisher Representation
University of Queensland Press (UQP) is the only publisher with two books on the longlist. Randa Abdel-Fattah's inclusion follows her participation in a boycott of UQP in April over the publisher's decision to drop a children's book due to illustrator comments that the university said breached antisemitism policies.
Historical Context
The award was first presented in 1957, when Patrick White won for Voss. The 2025 winner was Siang Lu for Ghost Cities.