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The University of Queensland Fiction Book Award
About the award
Part of the Queensland Literary Awards, The University of Queensland Fiction Book Award is for an outstanding work of fiction for adults by an Australian writer.
Eligibility
- Eligible entries include novels and novellas.
- Must be first published between 1 May 2024 and 30 April 2025 by an Australian citizen or resident who is living at the time of nomination.
- To confirm you're eligible to enter this category, download the full 2025 terms and conditions of entry document (available from 3 March 2025).
Prize
$15,000 sponsored by The University of Queensland.
2025 key dates
- 3 March: entries open
- 22 April: entries close
- 3 March–17 March: early bird entry period
- 18 March–22 April: standard entry period
- 30 April: deadline for books to arrive at State Library
- 5 August: shortlist announced
- 12 September: awards ceremony at State Library of Queensland
How to enter
- Download and read the full 2025 terms and conditions of entry document (available from 3 March 2025)
- Read the nomination FAQs
- Complete an online nomination form by 22 April 2025
- Pay the nomination fee (early bird $45.00 including GST or standard $55.00 including GST)
- Send 5 copies of the book to State Library:
Attn: Queensland Literary Awards
c/- State Library of Queensland
PO Box 3488
SOUTH BRISBANE QLD 4101
Find other delivery options in the terms and conditions of entry. State Library must receive all books by 30 April 2025.
You will receive confirmation of your accepted nomination via email.
More information
Congratulations to the 2024 finalists!

The Great Undoing - Winner
Sharlene Allsopp (Ultimo Press)
Judges' comments:
In The Great Undoing, Sharlene Allsopp takes readers on a personal and meta journey into a not-too-distant dystopic future. Allsopp dissolves the strictures and structures of conventional and consensus realism to give voice and form to First Nations philosophies of temporality, relationality and Country.

Body Friend
Katherine Brabon (Ultimo Press)
Judges' comments:
A touching, beautifully written novel about the often-hidden realities of chronic pain, Body Friend offers an intimate reflection on the relationship between the body and the self. The novel’s confident voice and quietly ambitious pacing unfurl in ways that are deeply human and poignant.

Politica
Yumna Kassab (Ultimo Press)
Judges' comments:
Politica is a compelling and timely semi-allegorical story of an unnamed country torn apart by conflict, finding emotional resonance by insisting on the dignity of families, communities and individuals. Yumna Kassab’s impressionistic style propels the novel as it reckons with the human costs of war.

Ghost Cities
Siang Lu (University of Queensland Press)
Judges' comments:
Framed as a contemporary satire, Ghost Cities not only conjures the Truman Show-like Chinese city of Port Man Tou but imagines an ancient labyrinth as a mythical microcosm of society. Richly constructed, it celebrates the books and ideas that inspire artisanal and artistic creation.

Edenglassie
Melissa Lucashenko (University of Queensland Press)
Judges' comments:
Combining two narrative threads – one historical and one contemporary – Melissa Lucashenko’s Edenglassie tells stories of Indigenous life and love during the early years of settlement, and the present. Impeccably researched, the novel offers a story that is as powerful as it is challenging.
Past winners

2024
The Great Undoing
Sharlene Allsopp
Ultimo Press)

2023
Praiseworthy
Alexis Wright
(Giramondo Publishing)

2022
The Other Half of You
Michael Mohammed Ahmad
(Hachette Australia)

2021
Song of the Crocodile
Nardi Simpson
(Hachette Australia)

2020
Stone Sky Gold Mountain
Mirandi Riwoe
(University of Queensland Press)

2019
Exploded View
Carrie Tiffany
(Text Publishing)

Queensland Literary Awards
Explore Queensland Literary Awards, showcasing exceptional authors, both emerging and established, from across Australia.