Check out the 2022 ABIAs shortlist!

The Australian bookselling and publishing community have come together once again to decide on the shortlist for the 2022 Australian Book Industry Awards, which has just been revealed on Twitter!

Comprised of over 250 publishers, booksellers, agents, media and industry representatives, the ABIA Academy picked from a wide variety of books published over the last year, with amazing finalists to be found in each of the 13 categories.

The winners will be announced on Thursday, 9th of June, at a special awards night held at Sydney’s International Convention Centre. Scroll down to see the full shortlist!

Audiobook of the Year

Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray: River of Dreams by Anita Heiss; narrated by Tamala Sheltong
Emotional Female by Yumiko Kadota; narrated by Yumiko Kadota
The Performance by Claire Thomas; narrated by Edwina Wren et al.
Devotion by Hannah Kent; narrated by Emily Wheaton
SPANIAN – The Unfiltered Hoodlife by Spanian, Christopher Kevin Au; narrated by Spanian, Amos Phillips

Biography Book of the Year

Emotional Female by Yumiko Kadota
The Mother Wound by Amani Haydar
Turns Out, I’m Fine by Judith Lucy
It Wasn’t Meant to be Like This by Lisa Wilkinson
My Adventurous Life by Dick Smith

Book of the Year for Older Children (ages 13+)

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
Anything but Fine by Tobias Madden
The Boy from the Mish by Gary Lonesborough
The Gaps by Leanne Hall
Welcome to Consent by Yumi Stynes and Dr Melissa Kang

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

Exit Through the Gift Shop by Maryam Master
The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Peculiar Pairs in Nature by Sami Bayly
The First Scientists: Deadly Inventions and Innovations from Australia’s First Peoples by Corey Tutt
Dragon Skin by Karen Foxlee
Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief by Katrina Nannestad

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

Day Break by Amy McQuire and Matt Chun
Bedtime Sorted by Jimmy Rees, illustrated by Briony Stewart
Winner Winner Bin Chicken Dinner by Kate and Joel Temple, illustrated by Ronojoy Gosh
Somebody’s Land: Welcome to Our Country by Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing, illustrated by David Hardy
Boss of Your Own Body by Byll and Beth Stephen, illustrated by Simon Howe

General Fiction Book of the Year

The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss
Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz
When Things are Alive They Hum by Hannah Bent

General Non-fiction Book of the Year

Toxic: The Rotting Underbelly of the Tasmanian Salmon Industry by Richard Flanagan
She’s on the Money by Victoria Devine
Heartsick by Jessie Stephens
So You Think You Know What’s Good for You? by Norman Swan
Love Stories by Trent Dalton

Illustrated Book of the Year

Still Life by Amber Creswell Bell
Death to Jar Sauce by Nat’s What I Reckon
You’re Doing it Wrong by Kaz Cooke
Everything I Love to Cook by Neil Perry
Costa’s World by Costa Georgiadis

International Book of the Year

These Precious Days by Ann Patchett
Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love by Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
Still Life by Sarah Winman

Literary Fiction Book of the Year

Devotion by Hannah Kent
Love Objects by Emily Maguire
Wild Abandon by Emily Bitto
The Truth About Her by Jacqueline Maley
Love & Virtue by Diana Reid

Small Publishers’ Adult Book of the Year

Wild Mushrooming: A Guide for Foragers by Alison Pouliot and Tom May
The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison by Sean Kelly
Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen
Caught in the Act by Shane Jenek
Black and Blue: a memoir of racism and resilience by Veronica Gorrie

Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year

The Edge of Thirteen by Nova Weetman
Let’s Eat Weeds! by Annie Raser-Rowland and Adam Grubb, illustrated by Evie Barrow
Tomorrow is a Brand-New Day by Davina Bell, illustrated by Allison Colpoys
Albert Namatjira by Vincent Namatjira
Kunyi by Kunyi June Anne McInerney

The Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year

Jacqueline Bublitz (Before You Knew My Name)
Jacqueline Maley (The Truth About Her)
Amani Haydar (The Mother Wound)
Hannah Bent (When Things are Alive They Hum)
Diana Reid (Love & Virtue)

Congratulations to all of the authors on the 2022 ABIAs shortlist!

Find out more about the Australian Book Industry Awards here

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Olivia Fricot

Olivia Fricot (she/her) is Booktopia's Senior Content Producer and editor of the Booktopian blog. She has too many plants and not enough bookshelves, and you can usually find her reading, baking, or talking to said plants. She is pro-Oxford comma.

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