Submissions for the 2025 ARA Historical Novel Prize opened on Wednesday, March 19 to published novelists from Australia and New Zealand.
Novels eligible for submission must have a narrative that mostly takes place at least 50 years before publication.
Novels published between July 1, 2024 and 30 June, 2025 are eligible for submission in this year’s prize.
“I am proud to support The ARA Historical Novel Prize, which continues to celebrate excellence in writing in this increasingly popular genre,” ARA Group chief executive and executive chair Edward Federman said.
“Our vision for the prize is to reward the endeavours of outstanding Australian and New Zealand authors to create historical narratives which bridge together tales of our past and present.”
The overall prize pool is $150,000, with $100,000 going to the winner of the adult category.
The winner of the children and young adult category will receive $30,000.
Four additional shortlisted authors will receive $5000 each.
The competition has been running for five years and is a partnership between the Historical Novel Society Australasia and founding sponsor ARA Group.
Entries close on Wednesday, June 11.
Winners will be announced on Thursday, October 16.
Previous winners include Melissa Lucashenko (2024), Gail Jones (2023), Tom Keneally (2022) and young adult author and two-time winner Katrina Nannestad (2021, 2022).
For more information, visit hnsa.org.au/ara-historical-novel-prize
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