Award-winning and shortlisted books of 2025

Congratulations to all the Penguin Random House authors who have been honoured by awards this year.

Across a wide range of genres, these shortlisted and awarded-winning books are great feats of literature from some of our amazing authors.

Scroll on to see the award winners and be prepared to discover a new favourite on this list.

Editorial Note: This list will be continuously updated throughout 2025 as awards are announced.

Shortlisted and award-winning books 2025

Award winners

• Graft by Maggie MacKellar, Tasmanian Literary Awards, Premier’s Prize for Nonfiction
• Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst, Nero Gold Prize Book of the Year 2024
• The Angry Women's Choir by Meg Bignell, Tasmanian Literary Awards, People’s Choice Award for Fiction
• The Other Bridget by Rachael Johns, 2024 Australian Romance Reader Award, Favourite Aussie-Set Romance

Shortlisted titles

• A Thousand Threads by Neneh Cherry, The Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 2025
• At the Grand Glacier Hotel by Laurence Fearnley, Jan Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction; 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Award, Fiction
• Bake with Brooki by Brooke Bellamy; 2025 ABIAs, Illustrated Book of the Year
• Cactus Pear For My Beloved by Samah Sabawi, NSW Literary Awards, Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction; The Age Book of the Year (Non-fiction); Stella Prize
• Catch a Falling Star by Eileen Merriman, DANZ Children’s Book Award 2025, YA
• Deep Water by James Bradley, NSW Literary Awards, Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction
• Eleanor Jones Can't Keep a Secret by Amy Doak, Indies Book Awards 2025, Young Adult; 2025 ABIAs, John Marsden Book of the Year for Older Children
• Juice by Tim Winton, Indies Book Awards 2025, Fiction; 2025 ABIAs, Audiobook of the Year; 2025 ABIAs, Literary Fiction Book of the Year; 2025 ABIAs Social Impact Book of the Year; BookPeople Awards, Adult Fiction; Aurealis Awards, Best Science Fiction Novel
• Neverlanders by Tom Taylor and Jon Sommariva, DANZ Children’s Book Award 2025, Graphic Novel
• Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout, Women's Prize for Fiction 2025
• Ten Things I Wish You Knew About Your Child's Mental Health by Billy Garvey, 2025 ABIAs, General Fiction Book of the Year 
• The 113th Assistant Librarian by Stuart Wilson, Indies Book Awards 2025, Children's; 2025 ABIAs, Book of the Year for Younger Children; BookPeople Awards, Children's 
• The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston, Indies Book Awards 2025, Debut Fiction
• The Forever War by Nick Bryant, 2025 ABIAs, General Nonfiction Book of the Year; BookPeople Awards, Adult Non-Fiction
• The Girl with No Reflection by Keshe Chow, 2025 ABIAs, John Marsden Book of the Year for Older Children
• The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland, NSW Literary Awards, Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature
• The Mermaid Chronicles: A Midlife Mer-moir by Megan Dunn, 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Award, General Non-Fiction
• The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, Women's Prize for Fiction 2025
• The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods, 2025 ABIAs, General Fiction Book of the Year
• The Whole Truth by Jackie O, 2025 ABIAs, Biography Book of the Year
• This Kingdom of Dust by David Dyer, The Age Book of the Year (Fiction)
• Translations by Jumaana Abdu, 2025 MUD Literary Prize; NSW Literary Awards, Multicultural NSW Award; Stella Prize
• Unreel: A Life in Review by Diana Wichtel, 2025 Ockham New Zealand Book Award, General Non-Fiction
• We Solve Murders by Richard Osman, 2025 ABIAs, International Book of the Year
• You Don't Have to Have a Dream by Tim Minchin, 2025 ABIAs, Illustrated Book of the Year