Nominate for a Queensland Literary Award in 2026
Open until 30 April
Information and resources about this year’s awards.
Nominations are now open.
All award categories close at 5pm AEST on 30 April 2026.
#Nomination Process
Nomination process for published book award categories
- Download and read the full Terms & Conditions of Entry and the nomination FAQs.
- You must complete an online nomination form by 5:00 pm AEST, 30 April 2026 (see the forms below). If you wish to nominate a publication for more than one award category, you must complete a separate nomination form for each category and pay the relevant fee.
- As part of the online nomination process, you will be asked to upload a copy of the nominated book in PDF format. The maximum file size is 16 MB, but please contact us if your file is larger than this. All files and (where relevant) supplementary material must be also uploaded by 5:00 pm AEST, 30 April 2026.
- At the end of the nomination form, you will be directed to our secure payment portal, where you can pay the nomination fee.
- At the end of the nomination form you can opt to receive a copy of your nomination which will be emailed to you. The QLAs team will only be in touch if we require clarification about the nomination.
- If you are a publisher nominating multiple titles, please contact us on nominations@qlas.com.au and we will send you a bulk nomination form and contact you directly to arrange payment.
Nomination process for development award categories
- Download and read the full Terms & Conditions of Entry and the nomination FAQs.
- You must complete an online nomination form by 5:00 pm AEST, 30 April 2026 (see the forms below).
- You must attach all required documents to the online nomination form (refer to the specific category to determine the required documents). The maximum file size is 16 MB, but please contact us if your files are larger than this. All files and (where relevant) supplementary material must be also uploaded by 5:00 pm AEST, 30 April 2026.
- After submitting the online nomination form, you will receive an automatic confirmation email. The QLAs team will only be in touch if we require clarification about the nomination.
The person listed as the ‘nominator’ will be the contact person for all information relating to that nomination. Books may be submitted by authors, publishers, literary agents or interested third parties. However, any third party who nominates a book on behalf of an author is responsible for ensuring and demonstrating, if requested, that the author’s consent has been obtained prior to the nomination.
NOMINATION FEES
Published book awards:
Full fee: $55 (inc. GST) per nomination
Concession fee: $45 (inc. GST) per nomination
The concession fee is applicable if the author of the nominated work holds one of the following valid Australian concession cards: Pensioner Concession Card, Health Care Card or Low Income Health Care Card, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, tertiary student card, Veteran Card issued by the Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Seniors Card.
Development awards are free to enter.
For more information and to see full eligibility criteria, please download and read the 2026 Terms & Conditions of Entry by clicking the button below.
#Award Categories
Published Book Awards: see below for full fee or concession form
- Queensland Premier's Award for Work of State Significance
- The University of Queensland Non-Fiction Book Award
- The University of Queensland Fiction Book Award
- Young Adult Book Award
- Children's Book Award
- Judith Wright Calanthe Award for a Poetry Collection
- Steele Rudd Award for a Short Story Collection (Biennial Award)
- People's Choice Queensland Book of the Year Award
Development Awards: see below for individual forms for each award
- David Unaipon Award for an Emerging Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Writer
- Manuscript Award for an Emerging Queensland Writer
- Queensland Premier's Young Publisher and Writer Award
- Queensland Premier's Regional Publisher and Writer Award
#Nomination Forms
#Contact Us
For general enquiries about the 2026 Queensland Literary Awards:
For questions about a nomination or to submit a bulk nomination:
#Judging Process
Who judges?
Categories in the Queensland Literary Awards are assessed by panels of three-four independent judges.
Judges for each panel are selected from a judging ‘pool’. This pool is made up from authors, critics, academics, publishers, editors, librarians, booksellers, journalists, and other publishing industry or community representatives.
The judging pool and which panels specific judges are assigned to is kept confidential to preserve fair and true judgements until the conclusion of the awards ceremony.
Additional information
Judges must disclose any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest as soon as they become aware of them. The QLAs staff records all conflicts of interest and manages these situations in consultation with the panel chair and judges.
All communication between judging panels and authors/nominators go through the QLAs. If panels feel they require additional information from authors/nominators about a work, this request if handled by the QLAs staff.
Judges have the right to move a nomination to a different category in consultation with the QLAs if they deem another category to be more relevant.
The outcomes of the judging process are final and no discussion or correspondence will be entered into in regards to final award decisions or the judging process.
Queensland Literary Awards judges do reserve the right not to award a prize in a category if applications do not meet necessary standards.
Panels must decide on one winner only per category, no co-winners are to be awarded in any category.
Shortlists are a maximum of five titles only, including the winner of the category. Panels may choose to shortlist fewer than five titles in a category. Shortlists will be announced late July prior to the awards ceremony.
For further information, please see our Frequently Asked Questions page or contact the QLAs at enquiries@qlas.com.au.