The State Library of NSW has announced the shortlists for the 2026 NSW History Awards. Fourteen judges considered 208 entries across the six prize categories, with a total of $85,000 in prize money on offer.
“The NSW History Awards recognise the exceptional work and dedication of historians to bring our past to life. Through rigorous research and compelling storytelling, these shortlisted books illuminate overlooked voices, uncover hidden histories, and invite us to see familiar events in new ways,” said Minister for the Arts, the Hon John Graham, MLC.
“In doing so, they strengthen our collective understanding of Australia’s rich and complex history. I warmly congratulate all the shortlisted and highly commended writers,” said Minister Graham.
“Libraries help ensure that history remains a living and accessible part of public life. They not only provide the collections, archives and expertise that underpin historical research, but also create opportunities for communities to engage with the stories that have shaped our society,” said State Librarian Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon.
“We are grateful to libraries throughout New South Wales for their role in making history accessible to all, and we warmly acknowledge the NSW Government and the NSW Office for Veterans Affairs for their ongoing support of these Awards.”
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Aboriginal-Colonial Exchanges in New South Wales, 1800–1835: When the strangers came to stay, Annemarie McLaren (Oxford University Press)
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Apron-Sorrow / Sovereign-Tea, Natalie Harkin (Wakefield Press)
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Clever Men: How worlds collided on the scientific expedition to Arnhem Land of 1948, Martin Thomas (Allen & Unwin)
- A Pacific Power: Liberal imperialism in German Samoa, Matthew P Fitzpatrick (Oxford University Press)
- Decoding the Hand: A history of science, medicine, and magic, Alison Bashford (University of Chicago Press)
- Errol Flynn: The true story of Australia’s Hollywood icon, Patricia A O’Brien (Allen & Unwin)
- Aboriginal-Colonial Exchanges in New South Wales, 1800–1835: When the strangers came to stay, Annemarie McLaren (Oxford University Press)
- Madness Then and Now, Toby Raeburn and Claire Chang (Liverpool City Library)
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Views to Die For, Mark Skelsey (Trafalgar Publishing)
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History Lab: Caribbean Echoes (Episodes 1 and 3, Season 7), Sienna Brown and Ben Etherington (UTS Impact Studios)
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History Lab: Darlinghurst’s AIDS crisis (Parts 1, 2 and Trailer, Episodes 42–43), Leigh Boucher, Regina Botros and Sarah Gilbert (UTS Impact Studios)
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Operation Seagull: The Stockton Bight Disaster, Jacob Ure (Our Past)
- A Loo of One’s Own, Eleri Harris (Allen & Unwin)
- Catalpa: Escape to Freedom, Mike Lefroy and Joy Lefroy (Fremantle Press)
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Trapped!, Julia Lawrinson (Fremantle Press)
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Australia’s Coastal War: When World War Two reached our shores, Tom Lewis (Big Sky Publishing)
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New Feller Master: Beyond the trenches Australia’s neglected WWI story, Michael Piggott (Big Sky Publishing)
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The Anzac Table, Daniel Reynaud and Emanuela Reynaud (Hardie Grant Media)
The NSW History Awards were first presented in 1997 to honour distinguished achievement in history. Works nominated for the 2026 NSW History Awards must have been first published, produced or made publicly available between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026.
The NSW History Awards are administered by the State Library of NSW in association with Create NSW. We are pleased to acknowledge the support of the History Council of NSW, and the Trustees of the Anzac Memorial Building for their establishment and sponsorship of the Anzac Memorial Trustees Military History Prize.
The winners will be announced during History Week at an Awards ceremony at the State Library of NSW on Monday 7 September 2026. For more information, visit: www.sl.nsw.gov.au for details.
Image: 2026 NSW History Awards shortlists – courtesy of State Library of NSW