Shortlist Announced for the Indie Book Awards 2026

Australian independent booksellers have nominated their favourite Australian books of 2025 and are thrilled to announce their SHORTLIST for the Indie Book Awards 2026!

Since 2008, the Indie Book Awards have been celebrating the best of Australian writing. And who better to pick and judge these standout books than indie booksellers themselves? Full of passion and know-how, these booksellers champion Aussie literature beyond just the big names, keeping our reading culture rich and diverse. These awards recognise the important role they play in supporting Australian storytellers.

Leanne Kadareanu, Head of Books at Leading Edge Retail, facilitator of the awards says: “The 2026 Indie Book Awards Shortlist highlights the depth, creativity and diversity of Australian writing today. Selected by independent booksellers who champion Australian books every day, these standout titles represent the very best of Australian publishing this year.”

Announced early in the award calendar year, The Indie Book Awards are now considered the forerunners of all major Australian book awards. The Awards cover the best Australian books in six categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Debut Fiction, Illustrated Non-Fiction, Children’s books (up to 12yo) and Young Adult (12+).

The Category Winners and the Overall Book of the Year Winner will be announced at a virtual awards event on Monday 23 March 2026.

The Shortlist for the Indie Book Awards 2026 is:

FICTION SHORTLIST

Tenderfoot by Toni Jordan (Hachette Australia)

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Penguin Australia)

One Hundred Years of Betty by Debra Oswald (Allen & Unwin)

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth (Macmillan Australia)

NON FICTION SHORTLIST

Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks (Hachette Australia)

The Mushroom Tapes by Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper & Sarah Krasnostein (Text Publishing)

Always Home, Always Homesick by Hannah Kent (Picador Australia)

A Bunker in Kyiv by John Lyons (ABC Books, HarperCollins Australia)

DEBUT FICTION SHORTLIST

The Butterfly Women by Madeleine Cleary (Affirm Press)

Daughters of Batavia by Stefanie Koens (HarperCollins Australia)

Melaleuca by Angie Faye Martin (HQ Fiction)

When Sleeping Women Wake by Emma Pei Yin (Hachette Australia)

ILLUSTRATED NON FICTION SHORTLIST

The ADHD Brain Buddy by Matilda Boseley (Penguin Australia)

Planting for Native Birds, Bees and Butterflies by Jaclyn Crupi (Murdoch Books)

Wild by Design by Tim Pilgrim (Murdoch Books)

THAI by Nat Thaipun (Hardie Grant Books)

CHILDREN’S SHORTLIST

There’s a Prawn in Parliament House: The Kids’ Guide to Australia’s Amazing Democracy by Annabel Crabb, illustrated by First Dog on the Moon (Allen & Unwin Children’s)

Harry and Gran Bake a Cake by Fiona McIntosh, illustrated by Sara Acton (Puffin)

Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend (Lothian Children’s Books)

YOUNG ADULT SHORTLIST

The Foal in the Wire by Robbie Coburn (Lothian Children’s Books)

Eleanor Jones is Playing with Fire by Amy Doak (Penguin Australia)

Drift by Pip Harry (Lothian Children’s Books)

Wandering Wild by Lynette Noni (Penguin Australia)

We’d also like to give a nod to the authors Better Reading has been shining a spotlight on. Congratulations to Debra Oswald, Charlotte McConaghy, Sally Hepworth, Madeleine Cleary, Angie Faye Martin, Fiona McIntosh, Lynette Noni, and Amy Doak for being shortlisted for such an amazing prize, especially the debut authors.

Better Reading’s picks highlight just how exciting and diverse this year’s shortlist is. From gripping fiction and debut novels to children’s stories and young adult adventures, these authors are already capturing hearts and sparking conversations nationwide.

Learn more about the Indie Book Awards 2026 here.