Michelle de Kretser has won the 2025 Stella Prize, receiving $60,000 thanks to the generous support of the Stella Forever Fund for her seventh novel, published by Text Publishing, Theory & Practice.
“In this, the thirteenth year, I am honoured to be working with the judges, the team and board to celebrate the 2025 Stella Prize winner,” said Fiona Sweet, Stella CEO. “I have long been a fan of Michelle’s work and am constantly surprised and delighted while reading her books. Theory & Practice is another example of the depth of her talent as a writer.”
Sri Lankan-born, Michelle de Kretser lives in Warrane/Sydney and is an honorary associate of the English department at the University of Sydney. She has won several awards for her fiction. Theory & Practice is shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Fiction and the BookPeople BookData Adult Fiction Book Of The Year.
“Theory & Practice is an exceptional novel of hyper realism in which Michelle de Kretser, an author at the height of her powers, interrogates the messiness of life found in the gap between theory and practice,” said Astrid Edwards Judges’ Chair.
This year, Stella received over 180 entries vying for the annual Stella Prize award of $60,000 for one extraordinary book. After completing the rigorous judging process, The Stella 2025 judges Astrid Edwards (Chair), Debra Dank, Leah Jing McIntosh, Yassmin Abdel-Magied, and Rick Morton chose Theory & Practice as the 2025 Stella Prize winner.
Past winners of the Stella Prize include: Alexis Wright, 2024 (Praiseworthy); Sarah Holland-Batt, 2023 (The Jaguar); Evelyn Araluen, 2022 (Dropbear); Evie Wyld, 2021 (The Bass Rock); Jess Hill, 2020 (See What You Made Me Do); Vicki Laveau-Harvie, 2019 (The Erratics); Alexis Wright, 2018 (Tracker); Heather Rose, 2017 (The Museum of Modern Love); Charlotte Wood, 2016 (The Natural Way of Things); Emily Bitto, 2015 (The Strays); Clare Wright, 2014 (The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka); and Carrie Tiffany, 2013 (Mateship with Birds).
Now in its thirteenth year, the Stella Prize remains a key force in Australia’s literary scene, championing and amplifying the voices and stories of women and non-binary individuals.
For more information about the 2025 Stella Prize, visit: www.thestellaprize.com.au for details.
Image: Michelle de Kretser – photo by Joy Lai