2026 Stella Prize

The 2026 Stella Prize, Australia's annual award for books by women and non-binary writers, went to Lee Lai for Cannon, a graphic novel about a restaurant cook who carries the needs of her family and her closest friend until she reaches a breaking point. It was the first time a graphic novel had taken the prize since it began in 2013. Judges Sophie Gee (chair), Jaclyn Crupi, Benjamin Law, Gillian O'Shaughnessy and Ellen van Neerven read 212 entries published in 2025, named a longlist of twelve in March and a shortlist of six in April. The shortlist spanned poetry, memoir, hybrid criticism and two novels, with books by Evelyn Araluen, Geraldine Brooks, Miranda Darling, Marika Sosnowski and Tasma Walton alongside Lai's. The winner was announced on May 13, 2026.