Queensland Literary Awards

Queensland Literary Awards The Queensland Literary Awards (QLAs) celebrate outstanding books by Australian authors and champion new writing from emerging Queensland writers.

The 2026 ceremony will be held on Thursday 8 October as part of the Brisbane Writers Festival. The Queensland Literary Awards (QLA) was established in 2012 by a not-for-profit association of passionate Queensland volunteers and advocates for literature. The Awards recognise and reward outstanding Australian writers. The 2012 and 2013 Awards were made possible by the generosity and commitment of ma

ny partners, donors and volunteers, and this grassroots approach resulted in significant engagement with the community and the industry. Following consultation with the QLA Governing Committee, 2014 has seen the management of the QLA transition to the State Library of Queensland (SLQ). In 2015 Premier and Arts Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the Queensland Government would once again provide ongoing support for the Awards. SLQ proudly manages the Queensland Literary Awards in collaboration with sponsors, industry partners and the writing community.

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Entries in the 2026 Queensland Literary Awards close this Thursday 30 April at 5pm AEST!Celebrating literary excellence,...
28/04/2026

Entries in the 2026 Queensland Literary Awards close this Thursday 30 April at 5pm AEST!

Celebrating literary excellence, the QLAs feature a prize pool of over $200,000 across 12 categories that recognise published books, unpublished manuscripts, emerging young and regional writers and publishers, and much more. Winners will be announced at a dedicated ceremony on Thursday 8 October as part of the Brisbane Writers Festival.

Get in quick as late entries cannot be accepted!

Check out our website and FAQs for more information on how to enter:

The Queensland Literary Awards showcase outstanding authors from across Australia, celebrating emerging and established authors across a range of genres. Brisbane Writers Festival is proud to manage the Awards in collaboration with sponsors, the literary community, and industry partners. The Queensl...

One week to go until entries close for the 2026 Queensland Literary Awards!Whether you're a published author or emerging...
23/04/2026

One week to go until entries close for the 2026 Queensland Literary Awards!

Whether you're a published author or emerging writer, we'd love to hear from you and help provide the next boost to your writing career!

Visit our website for eligibility criteria and information on how to enter: www.qlas.com.au

Are you an emerging Queensland writer or emerging Aboriginal writer? Or maybe you're a Queensland writer with a manuscri...
21/04/2026

Are you an emerging Queensland writer or emerging Aboriginal writer? Or maybe you're a Queensland writer with a manuscript that's crying out for publication?

Enter the QLA Development Awards to be in the running for prize money and potential publishing deals!

Visit www.qlas.com.au for more information and full eligibility criteria.

Your FAQs answered about the QLA development awards!Need more info? Check out our website for full eligibility criteria ...
14/04/2026

Your FAQs answered about the QLA development awards!

Need more info? Check out our website for full eligibility criteria and T&Cs or drop us a line at [email protected]

QLA entries are now open!If you’re an author who has published a book between May 2025 and April 2026, you could be in t...
09/04/2026

QLA entries are now open!

If you’re an author who has published a book between May 2025 and April 2026, you could be in the running for QLA glory, prize money, and the spotlight of an awards ceremony in October as part of the Brisbane Writers Festival!

Are you an emerging Queensland writer under 30 or from a regional area? You could be eligible for a Queensland Premier’s Publisher and Writer Award.

Entries close 5pm AEST Thursday 30 April 2026.

For eligibility criteria, T&Cs and more information on how to enter, visit

The Queensland Literary Awards showcase outstanding authors from across Australia, celebrating emerging and established authors across a range of genres. Brisbane Writers Festival is proud to manage the Awards in collaboration with sponsors, the literary community, and industry partners. The Queensl...

And we're back! We're thrilled to share that the 2026 Queensland Literary Awards (QLAs) will be administered by the Bris...
31/03/2026

And we're back! We're thrilled to share that the 2026 Queensland Literary Awards (QLAs) will be administered by the Brisbane Writers Festival.

BWF is proud to act as custodian of the Awards in collaboration with sponsors, the literary community, and industry partners.

Our thanks to all previous hosts of the Awards. Special shout out to the fine folks at the State Library of Queensland for help with the transition.

Entries are now open across eight published book awards and four development awards. Book categories will remain the same, plus we’ll be reintroducing, on a biennial basis, the Steele Rudd Award for Best Short Story Collection.

Winners will be announced at a dedicated ceremony on Thursday 8 October as part of the Brisbane Writers Festival.

For more information, visit:

The Queensland Literary Awards showcase outstanding authors from across Australia, celebrating emerging and established authors across a range of genres. Brisbane Writers Festival is proud to manage the Awards in collaboration with sponsors, the literary community, and industry partners. The Queensl...

State Library has been honoured to manage the Queensland Literary Awards for more than a decade. We look forward to supp...
31/03/2026

State Library has been honoured to manage the Queensland Literary Awards for more than a decade. We look forward to supporting them at their new home with Brisbane Writers Festival.

Keep following this account for more information about the future of the awards.

The Queensland Literary Awards gratefully acknowledge the generous support of our sponsors, whose contributions were ess...
29/09/2025

The Queensland Literary Awards gratefully acknowledge the generous support of our sponsors, whose contributions were essential to the success of the awards and to recognising the achievements of our distinguished finalists.

Arts Queensland | Copyright Agency | The University of Queensland | Jenny Summerson | Susan Hocking and Ian Mackie, and their family | Queensland Library Foundation | Courier Mail

Find out who won: https://shorturl.at/FLZSz

Extending a warm congratulations to Siang Lu on his Miles Franklin Award win last night. Siang's debut 'The Whitewash' w...
25/07/2025

Extending a warm congratulations to Siang Lu on his Miles Franklin Award win last night. Siang's debut 'The Whitewash' won the Glendower Award for an Emerging Queensland Writer in 2021 and 'Ghost Cities' was shortlisted in the awards last year. We are thrilled for you, Siang! UQP
📔 read more https://perpetual.pulse.ly/jqsevianm4

Nominations for the 2025 Queensland Literary Awards are now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered.Image: QLA celebra...
22/04/2025

Nominations for the 2025 Queensland Literary Awards are now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered.

Image: QLA celebrations in September 2024, Joe Ruckli

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