Three debut authors join two returning finalists and a two-time winner on the 2025 Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlist, which the judges praised for “writing that refuses to compromise” and for inventing “new languages for the Australian experience.” Each shortlisted author receives $5,000 from the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund, whose CEO Josephine Johnston celebrated the shortlist as a reflection of the “extraordinary breadth” and diversity of Australian storytelling.

The winner, to be announced on 24 July, will receive $60,000.

— BookPeople

• Chinese Postman by Brian Castro (Giramondo Publishing)
• Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser (Text Publishing)
• Dirt Poor Islanders by Winnie Dunn (Hachette Australia)
• Compassion by Julie Janson (Magabala Books)
• Ghost Cities by Siang Lu (University of Queensland Press)
• Highway 13 by Fiona McFarlane (Allen & Unwin)

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