Announcing the 2022 Stella Prize Longlist

Announcing the 12 exceptional books by Australian women and non-binary writers in the running for the tenth annual Stella Prize.

The 2022 Stella Prize longlist was announced live at the Wheeler Centre on Monday evening, in a special panel event with this year’s judging panel: Melissa Lucashenko (Chair), Declan Fry, Cate Kennedy, Sisonke Mismang, and Oliver Reeson. Together, they discussed the stories, themes and ideas captured in this year’s exceptional list.

The 2022 Stella Prize longlist includes novels, short fiction, memoir, social history, a book-length essay, a graphic novel, and – eligible for the first time in 2022 – poetry collections. This year’s prize saw over 220 entries. The twelve titles selected are evidence of the extraordinary calibre of work being published by Australian women and non-binary writers, with a remarkable seven of the twelve books written by debut authors, and five of the twelve by First Nations authors.

In alphabetical order by author surname, the 2022 Stella Prize longlist is:

• Coming of Age in the War on Terror by Randa Abdel-Fattah (NewSouth Books)      
• TAKE CARE by Eunice Andrada (Giramondo Publishing)                                                  
• Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen (University of Queensland Press)
• She Is Haunted by Paige Clark (Allen & Unwin)
• No Document by Anwen Crawford (Giramondo Publishing)
• Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down (Text Publishing)
• Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss (Simon & Schuster)
• Stone Fruit by Lee Lai (Fantagraphics)
• Permafrost by SJ Norman (University of Queensland Press)
• Homecoming by Elfie Shiosaki (Magabala Books)
• The Open by Lucy Van (Cordite Books)
• Another Day in the Colony by Chelsea Watego (University of Queensland Press)   

Chair of the 2022 Stella Prize judging panel, Melissa Lucashenko, says of the longlist:

“In the aftermath of Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, Stella writers are not holding back… Australian women and non-binary writers are producing innovative, sophisticated literature in very difficult times. It has been a great privilege to read and assess their work for the 2022 Stella Prize.”   

Executive Director of Stella, Jaclyn Booton, says of the longlist:                           

“The 2022 Stella Prize longlist is testament to the bold, genre-busting work being produced by Australian women and non-binary writers. As well as congratulating the longlistees, I want to thank them for these extraordinary books. As we approach the exciting milestone of awarding our tenth Stella Prize winner, I urge everyone to visit their independent bookstore or local library and get reading!”

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 in 2022. 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 endeavours by women and non-binary writers, and places our rich literary culture front and centre. Congratulations everyone!”         

The $50,000 Stella Prize is awarded annually to one outstanding book deemed to be original, excellent, and engaging. The 2022 Stella Prize shortlist will be announced on Thursday 31 March, and the 2022 Stella Prize winner will be announced on Thursday 28 April.

Until then, grab your copies of the longlisted titles and stay up to date by signing up to our eNewsletter and following #2022StellaPrize. We look forward to celebrating these outstanding books and writers with you over the coming months.