Stella is a major voice for gender equality and cultural change in Australian literature. Founded in 2012, the organisation’s flagship program is the annual Stella Prize – a major literary award celebrating Australian women’s writing. Stella also delivers a suite of year-round initiatives which actively champion Australian women writers, tackle gender bias in the literary sector, and connect outstanding books with readers.
Stella is thrilled to announce the 12 exceptional books longlisted for the 2023 Stella Prize. In alphabetical order by author’s surname, the 2023 Stella Prize longlist is:
- The Furies by Mandy Beaumont (Hachette Australia)
- Every Version of You by Grace Chan (Affirm Press)
- We Come With This Place by Debra Dank (Echo Publishing)
- big beautiful female theory by Eloise Grills (Affirm Press)
- The Jaguar by Sarah Holland-Batt (University of Queensland Press)
- Hydra by Adriane Howell (Transit Lounge)
- Jack of Hearts: QX11594 by Jackie Huggins & Ngaire Jarro (Magabala Books)
- All That’s Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien (HQ Fiction/HarperCollins Publishers)
- Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong by Louisa Lim (Text Publishing)
- Iris by Fiona Kelly McGregor (Pan Macmillan Australia)
- Decadence by Thuy On (UWA Publishing)
- Bad Art Mother by Edwina Preston (Wakefield Press)
The 2023 Stella Prize longlist was announced live and online on Thursday 2 March at the Wheeler Centre. Chair of the 2023 Stella Prize Judging Panel, award-winning author Alice Pung OAM, was joined by her fellow judges Astrid Edwards, Beejay Silcox, Jeff Sparrow and Alison Whittaker, for a lively and wide-ranging discussion about the stories, themes, and ideas explored in each of the 12 works.
Reflecting on the 2023 longlist, Chair of the Judges, Alice Pung, says: “The Australian publishing industry has really come back to life after the pandemic, and this year we were blown away by the creative risks taken by authors, poets, artists and publishers. Our longlist showcases the energy of this re-emergence. In these pages you will find pathos, rage, wild, joyful swagger, a mourning of our own mortality but also a celebration of our finite selves. We are beyond excited to share this list with readers.”
Executive Director of Stella, Jaclyn Booton, says of the longlist: “The 2023 Stella Prize longlist is an exceptional demonstration of the vitality of Australian women’s writing. The twelve longlisted books are an invitation to readers, bringing them face to face with themes of art and caretaking, body, voice, and cultural legacy, mortality and survivorship, and challenges to gender norms. I’m delighted to congratulate the longlisted writers on their achievement and urge everyone to pick up copies of these outstanding titles at your local bookstore or library.”
Each of the longlisted authors receives $1,000 in prize money thanks to the support of the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund. Josephine Johnston, CEO of the Copyright Agency, says: “The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund is very proud to support the Stella Prize longlist. Over the years we have been delighted to see so many exceptional Australian writers make it on to the longlist, which has an enormous impact on their writing career and ability to find new readers for their work. The Stella Prize recognises and rewards extraordinary writing and literary endeavour by women and non-binary writers, and places our rich literary culture front and centre. Congratulations everyone!”
The 2023 Stella Prize shortlist will be announced on Thursday 30 March, and the 2023 Stella Prize winner will be announced on Thursday 27 April.
The winner of the 2023 Stella Prize will receive $60,000 thanks to the generous support of the Wilson Foundation.
For more information, go to stella.org.au
