> Skip to content

Article  •  11 March 2022

 

2022 Penguin Literary Prize shortlist announced

We are thrilled to reveal the six authors shortlisted for this year's literary prize.

Penguin Random House Australia is thrilled to reveal the shortlist for the 2022 Penguin Literary Prize.

The shortlisted titles are:

  • On a Bright Hillside in Paradise by Annette Higgs is about a family of convict descendants in Tasmania and the changes wrought when Christian Brethren evangelists arrive to hold revival meetings in local barns.
  • Full of anger, Helen Hope by Katelin Farnsworth is a story about learning to trust and finding your place in the world again after a traumatic event.
  • White Over Blue by Christina Gee is ostensibly a book about trying to write a novel, but unpacks so many other things along the way.
  • Ultramotherland by Andrei Seleznev is speculative, funny, a thriller and takes you on a ride as it explores post-Soviet identity, alienation, and the search for meaning and belonging.
  • The Fall Between by Darcy-Lee Tindale is a crime thriller exploring the tensions between urban and rural life.
  • Totem by Annelise Roberts charts a strange kind of correspondence between a nuclear veteran and his unnamed descendant as they struggle to find answers – when did this bleakness start, and where does it end?

Publishing Director of PRH Australia, Justin Ractliffe, extends his congratulations to the shortlisted authors. 

'It’s a huge achievement to get down to just six after the hundreds of submissions we received for this year’s prize,' he said.

'We have a brilliant panel of judges who, like me, are very much looking forward to hunkering down to read and discuss the shortlist. It’s always a thrill to discover new writers and I’m very much looking forward to seeing what 2022’s Penguin Literary Prize has in store for us.’

The winner will be announced by Penguin Random House Australia on Wednesday 15 June 2022.

The PRH Literary Prize, launched in 2017, was established to find, nurture and develop new Australian authors of literary fiction.

Previous winners include Hitch by Kathryn Hind, published June 2019 and awarded the Betty Trask Award in 2020, The Spill by Imbi Neeme, published June 2020 with rights sold in Germany and Estonia, The Rabbits by Sophie Overett, published July 2021 with rights sold in the UK and Denizen by James McKenzie Watson, to be published in July 2022.

 

 

More features

See all
Article
Your guide to Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon series

Here’s what you need to know about Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon series – including which order to read the books!

Article
Books we’d recommend to Conrad Fisher

8 books Conrad Fisher would love (or learn from).

Article
10 black cat boyfriends from must-read books

It’s official: the internet has dubbed Conrad Fisher a ‘black cat boyfriend’. Here are a few other black cat book boyfriends to keep you swooning.

Article
Penguin Fantasy Fest 2025 – a magical four-state adventure!

Four states, four sold out crowds, seven authors and over 850 fans made for an incredible two weeks that we will never forget!

Article
QUIZ: Which Hawthorne brother is your soulmate?

Take this quiz to find out which Hawthorne brother from The Inheritance Games series would be your perfect match.

Article
Abbey’s bookshop in Sydney is celebrating 90 years of Penguin books

Learn about the 4-day Penguin pop-up hosted by Abbey’s bookshop, including special release editions, bookmarks and limited-edition tote bags.

Article
Write It Fellowship Shortlist 2025

We are thrilled to announce the shortlist for the Write It Fellowship 2025.

Article
Your guide to pre-ordering Alchemised

Learn how to pre-order Alchemised by SenLin Yu and join the thousands of readers who will start reading it on 23 September 2025.

Article
How to make Book Week less stressful

5 tips to help you plan now and avoid Book Week stress later.

Article
Penguin Children’s Bookseller Grant 2025

Learn more and apply for the Penguin Children’s Bookseller Grant – a $200,000 initiative designed to engage young readers.

Article
The Lottie Brooks books, in order

Don’t know which order to read the Lottie Brooks books? Find out which to read first, and learn a little bit about each book.

Article
James Beard Award-winning cookbooks of 2025

Check out some of the incredible books honoured at the 2025 James Beard Foundation Book Awards.

Looking for more articles?

See all articles
penguin pop image
penguin pop image