22/03/2022

The Book Awards longlist for the 2022 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs) has been announced.

The ABIA Academy - a group of more than 250 publishers, booksellers, agents, media and industry representatives - has selected books published in the previous calendar year across 12 categories.

The ABIAs showcase the collaborative efforts of publishers, editors, illustrators, marketers, designers, and authors in bringing quality books to Australian and international markets.

A shortlist will be released on Monday 23 May, with the winners announced at the publishing industry’s Awards night on Thursday 9 June - a red carpet Ceremony held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney. Tickets for the ABIAs Ceremony are on sale now.

Biography Book of the Year

• Emotional Female, Yumiko Kadota (Penguin Random House Australia, Viking)
• The Mother Wound,  Amani Haydar (Pan Macmillan Australia, Macmillan Australia)
• Daring to Fly, Lisa Millar (Hachette Australia, Hachette Australia)
• Turns Out, I'm Fine, Judith Lucy (Simon & Schuster Australia, Scribner Australia)
• Power Play, Julia Banks (Hardie Grant Publishing, Hardie Grant Books)
• How We Love, Clementine Ford (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• It Wasn't Meant to be Like This, Lisa Wilkinson (HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins Publishers)
• My Adventurous Life, Dick Smith (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• How to End a Story Diaries : 1995–1998, Helen Garner  (Text Publishing, Text Publishing)

Book of the Year for Younger Children (ages 7-12)

• My Brother Ben, Peter Carnavas (University of Queensland Press, University of Queensland Press)
• Exit Through the Gift Shop, Maryam Master, illustrated by Astred Hicks (Pan Macmillan Australia, Pan Australia)
• The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Peculiar Pairs in Nature, Sami Bayly (Hachette Australia, Hachette Australia)
• Wandi, Favel Parrett (Hachette Australia, Hachette Australia)
• The First Scientists: Deadly Inventions and Innovations from Australia's First Peoples, Corey Tutt (Hardie Grant Publishing, Hardie Grant Explore)
• Heroes, Rebels and Innovators, Karen Wyld and Jaelyn Biumaiwai (Hachette Australia, Hachette Australia)
• Dragon Skin, Karen Foxlee (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief, Katrina Nannestad (HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins Publishers)

Children's Picture Book of the Year (ages 0-6)

• The Tiny Explorers, Kat Macleod (Thames & Hudson Australia, Thames & Hudson Australia)
• Walk of the Whales, Nick Bland (Hardie Grant Children's Publishing, Little Hare)
• Day Break, Amy McQuire and Matt Chun (Hardie Grant Children's Publishing, Bright Light)
• Bedtime Sorted, Jimmy Rees, illustrated by Briony Stewart (Affirm Press, Affirm Press)
• Winner Winner Bin Chicken Dinner, Kate and Joel Temple, illustrated by Ronojoy Gosh (Scholastic, Scholastic Press)
• The Curiosities, Zana Fraillon and Phil Lesnie (Hachette Australia, Lothian Children’s books)
• Somebody's Land: Welcome to Our Country, Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing, illustrated by David Hardy (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• Boss of Your Own Body, Byll and Beth Stephen, illustrated by Simon Howe (HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins Children’s Books)

General Fiction Book of the Year

• After Story, Larissa Behrendt (University of Queensland Press, University of Queensland Press)
• The Younger Wife, Sally Hepworth (Pan Macmillan Australia, Macmillan Australia)
• Apples Never Fall, Liane Moriarty (Pan Macmillan Australia, Macmillan Australia)
• Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray , Anita Heiss (Simon & Schuster Australia, Simon & Schuster Australia)
• Treasure and Dirt, Chris Hammer (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• Before You Knew My Name, Jacqueline Bublitz (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• The Way It Is Now, Garry Disher (Text Publishing, Text Publishing)
• When Things are Alive They Hum, Hannah Bent (Ultimo Press, Ultimo Press)

General Non-fiction Book of the Year

• Another Day in the Colony, Chelsea Watego (University of Queensland Press, University of Queensland Press)
• Toxic: The Rotting Underbelly of the Tasmanian Salmon Industry, Richard Flanagan (Penguin Random House Australia, Penguin)
• She’s on the Money, Victoria Devine (Penguin Random House Australia, Penguin Life)
• Heartsick: Three stories about love and loss, and what happens in between, Jessie Stephens (Pan Macmillan Australia, Macmillan Australia)
• So You Think You Know What's Good for You?, Norman Swan (Hachette Australia, Hachette Australia)
• Who Gets to Be Smart, Bri Lee (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• Love Stories, Trent Dalton (HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins Publishers)
• My Year of Living Vulnerably, Rick Morton (HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins Publishers)

Illustrated Book of the Year

• A Life in Pattern, Anna Spiro (Thames & Hudson Australia, Thames & Hudson Australia)
• Still Life, Amber Creswell Bell (Thames & Hudson Australia, Thames & Hudson Australia)
• Garden Like a Nonno, Jaclyn Crupi (Affirm Press, Affirm Press)
• Death to Jar Sauce, Nat’s What I Reckon (Penguin Random House Australia, Ebury Australia)
• You’re Doing it Wrong: A History of Bad and Bonkers Advice to Women, Kaz Cooke (Penguin Random House Australia, Viking)
• Christine Manfield's Indian Cooking Class, Christine Manfield (Simon & Schuster Australia, Simon & Schuster Australia)
• Take One Fish: The New School of Scale-to-Tail Cooking and Eating, Josh Niland (Hardie Grant Publishing, Hardie Grant Books)
• Dear Son: Letters and Reflections from First Nations Fathers and Sons, Thomas Mayor (Hardie Grant Publishing, Hardie Grant Explore)
• Everything I Love to Cook, Neil Perry (Murdoch Books, Murdoch Books)
• Costa's World, Costa Georgiadis (HarperCollins Publishers, ABC Books)

International Book of the Year

• These Precious Days, Ann Patchett (Bloomsbury Publishing, Bloomsbury Publishing)
• The Promise, Damon Galgut (Penguin Random House, Chatto & Windus UK)
• Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love, Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad (Penguin Random House, Ebury Press)
• The Magician, Colm Tóibín (Pan Macmillan Australia, Picador Australia)
• The Storyteller, Dave Grohl (Simon & Schuster US, Simon & Schuster Australia)
• Beautiful World, Where Are You, Sally Rooney (Faber, Faber)
• Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro (Faber, Faber)
• Still Life, Sarah Winman(HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins Publishers)

Literary Fiction Book of the Year

• One Hundred Days, Alice Pung (Black Inc. Books, Black Inc. Books)
• Once There Were Wolves, Charlotte McConaghy (Penguin Random House Australia, Hamish Hamilton)
• Devotion, Hannah Kent (Pan Macmillan Australia, Picador Australia)
• Seven and a Half, Christos Tsiolkas (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• Love Objects, Emily Maguire (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• Wild Abandon, Emily Bitto (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• The Truth About Her, Jacqueline Maley (HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins Publishers)
• Love & Virtue, Diana Reid (Ultimo Press, Ultimo Press)

Small Publishers' Adult Book of the Year

• The Stoning, Peter Papathanasiou (Transit Lounge, Transit Lounge)
• Wild Mushrooming: A Guide for Foragers, Alison Pouliot and Tom May (CSIRO Publishing, CSIRO Publishing)
• The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison, Sean Kelly (Black Inc. Books, Black Inc. Books)
• Dropbear, Evelyn Araluen (University of Queensland Press, University of Queensland Press)
• Caught in the Act, Shane Jenek (Pantera Press, Pantera Press)
• Flight of the Budgerigar, Penny Olsen (National Library of Australia, NLA Publishing)
• Black and Blue: a memoir of racism and resilience, Veronica Gorrie (Scribe Publications, Scribe Publications)
• The Shape of Sound, Fiona Murphy (Text Publishing, Text Publishing)

Small Publishers' Children's Book of the Year

• The Edge of Thirteen, Nova Weetman (University of Queensland Press, University of Queensland Press)
• Wiradjuri Country, Larry Brandy (National Library of Australia, NLA Publishing)
• A Pair of Pears and an Orange, Anna McGregor (Scribe Publications, Scribble)
• Let's Eat Weeds, Annie Raser-Rowland and Adam Grubb, illustrated by Evie Barrow (Scribe Publications, Scribble)
• Tomorrow is a Brand-New Day, Davina Bell, illustrated by Allison Colpoys (Scribe Publications, Scribble)
• Albert Namatjira, Vincent Namatjira (Magabala Books, Magabala Books)
• The River, Sally Morgan, illustrated by Johnny Warrkatja Malibirr (Magabala Books, Magabala Books)
• Kunyi Kunyi, June Anne McInerney (Magabala Books, Magabala Books)

The Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year

• Small Joys of Real Life, Allee Richards (Hachette Australia, Hachette Australia)
• The First Scientists: Deadly Inventions and Innovations from Australia's First Peoples, Corey Tutt (Hardie Grant Publishing, Hardie Grant Explore)
• New Animal, Ella Baxter (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• Before You Knew My Name, Jacqueline Bublitz (Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
• The Truth About Her, Jacqueline Maley (HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins Publishers)
• The Mother Wound, Amani Haydar (Pan Macmillan Australia, Macmillan Australia)
• When Things are Alive They Hum, Hannah Bent (Ultimo Press, Ultimo Press)
• Love & Virtue, Diana Reid (Ultimo Press, Ultimo Press)