With prize money of $100,000, the ARA Historical Novel Prize gives Australian and New Zealand historical novelists the chance to be recognised in a class of their own, with the most significant prize purse for any genre-based prize in Australasia. In 2021, the Prize expanded, incorporating a newly created category for outstanding Children and Young Adult (CYA) literature, in addition to the Adult category.

The ARA Historical Novel Prize awards $50,000 to the Adult category winner, with an additional $5,000 to be awarded to each of the remaining two shortlisted authors. In the CYA category, the winner will receive $30,000, while the two short listers will receive $5,000 each.

The ARA Historical Novel Prize has been made possible by the generosity of our Foundation Partner, ARA Group—Australia’s leading essential building and infrastructure services provider. ARA Group has ensured the success of our last two biennial conferences with their continuing support.

We’re also delighted to involve regional Australia in our endeavour with the New England Writers’ Centre kindly administering the submission process.