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Prime Minister's Literary Awards 2024

The 2024 Prime Minister's Literary Awards went to Donald Horne: A Life in the Lucky Country by Ryan Cropp (Australian History), Tamarra: A Story of Termites on Gurindji Country by Violet Wadrill, Topsy Dodd Ngarnjal, Leah Leaman, Cecelia Edwards, Cassandra Algy, Briony Barr, Felicity Meakins and Gregory Crocetti (Children's Literature) and Anam by André Dao (Fiction), with winners in 3 more categories. 30 books made the shortlist across 6 categories.

Winners

Australian History

  1. Donald Horne: A Life in the Lucky Country by Ryan Croppsource (opens in a new tab)

Children's Literature

  1. Tamarra: A Story of Termites on Gurindji Country by Violet Wadrill, Topsy Dodd Ngarnjal, Leah Leaman, Cecelia Edwards, Cassandra Algy, Briony Barr, Felicity Meakins and Gregory Crocettisource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Anam by André Daosource (opens in a new tab)

Non-fiction

  1. Close to the Subject: Selected Works by Daniel Browningsource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. The Cyprian by Amy Crutchfieldsource (opens in a new tab)

Young Adult Literature

  1. We Could Be Something by Will Kostakissource (opens in a new tab)

Shortlist

Australian History

  1. Bee Miles by Rose Ellissource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Bennelong and Phillip: A History Unravelled by Kate Fullagarsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Courting: An Intimate History of Love and the Law by Alecia Simmondssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Killing for Country: A Family Story by David Marrsource (opens in a new tab)

Children's Literature

  1. Etta and the Shadow Taboo by JM Field and Jeremy Worrallsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Ghost Book by Remy Laisource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Millie Mak the Maker by Alice Pung and Sher Rill Ngsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky by Rebecca Limsource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenkosource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenvillesource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Woodsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Carnal Fugues by Catherine McNamarasource (opens in a new tab)

Non-fiction

  1. A Clear Flowing Yarra by Harry Saddlersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. A Kind of Confession by Alex Millersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Eventually Everything Connects by Sarah Firthsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Graft: Motherhood, Family and a Year on the Land by Maggie MacKellarsource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Golden Bridge: New Poems by Jennifer Maidensource (opens in a new tab)
  2. In the Photograph by Luke Beesleysource (opens in a new tab)
  3. She is the Earth by Ali Cobby Eckermannsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Drama Student by Autumn Royalsource (opens in a new tab)

Young Adult Literature

  1. A Hunger of Thorns by Lili Wilkinsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Grace Notes by Karen Comersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. We Didn’t Think It Through by Gary Lonesboroughsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Welcome to Sex by Yumi Stynes and Melissa Kangsource (opens in a new tab)

About the Prime Minister's Literary Awards

Winners and shortlists from Creative Australia's per-year winners, shortlist and judges pages (2008-2024) and its 2025 shortlist and winners media releases. Year is the award year. Fiction and non-fiction run from 2008, children's and young adult from 2010, poetry and Australian history from 2012 (the earlier standalone Prime Minister's Prize for Australian History is excluded). Joint winners appear as separate Winner rows. Fallbacks and fixes: 2017 fiction comes from Wikipedia because the official 2017 page repeats the 2018 fiction shortlist; the 2023 history winner is cited to the 2023 winners release because the official page doesn't mark it; author-name typos and misattributions on the official pages are corrected (e.g. Bill Gammage, Evie Wyld, K. M. Kruimink); the TV series Immigration Nation on the 2012 history shortlist is excluded as not a book, so expected counts cover books only.

Organization: Creative Australia. Years are award years, which can differ from publication years. Official site (opens in a new tab)

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