Named after prominent Australian writer Miles Franklin, whose first name was Stella, the Stella Prize is an annual major literary award for Australian women and non-binary writers that has been running since 2013. The 2026 longlist was announced in March and consists of twelve books, six of which were selected for April’s shortlist, and the winner of the 2026 Stella Prize was announced on the 13th of May.

As proponents of Australian literature, we at the PMI Victorian History Library aim to collect the longlists of major Australian and Victorian literary prizes, including the Stella Prize, and so we are highlighting all six shortlisted books in our latest blog post. Those with links can be borrowed from our library. There’s a graphic novel, a memoir, novels, poetry and essays – which ones catch your eye?