Aurealis Awards

Welcome to the official home of the Aurealis Awards, proudly presented by the Queensland Writers Centre.

This is an annual suite of awards.

Entries open: Mon 29 Jun 2026 – Tues 10 Nov 2026

Awards Presentation: Sat 20 Feb 2027

As Australia’s premier literary prizes for speculative fiction, the Aurealis Awards recognise and celebrate the incredible achievements of Australian creators working in science fiction, fantasy, and horror. From epic world-building to spine-chilling suspense, these awards honour the absolute best of our nation's imagination.

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See Guidelines

Celebrating Australian Speculative Fiction

The Queensland Writers Centre is honoured to be the next in a long line of worthy administrators to provide support and continuance for the Aurealis Awards; one of Australia’s most beloved and enduring awards. In collaboration with the Australian speculative fiction community, the Queensland Writers Centre aims to uphold the tradition of celebrating genre writers in Australia. We are proud to offer a stage at our annual convention GenreCon to allow these awards to flourish, with strength, into the future.

Please note that to support our internal framework, administrative entry fees will see an increase to prior years. This comes with the QWC’s assurance that all funds collected are allocated back to benefit the awards.

Aurealis Awards 2026

Open Letter

In response to community feedback regarding the Aurealis Awards 2026, changes have been made to the entry guidelines, pricing, and eligibility to better support the Australian Speculative Fiction Community.

If you have already submitted, please see the updated entry guidelines to see if this affects your entry. The Queensland Writers Centre will be contacting affected entrants, and processing partial/full refunds where they apply over the coming weeks.

Happy writing!

Read the open letter
See the updated guidelines
Contact us

Applications

Entry Form
Entry Guidelines

The Aurealis Awards are for published works of original Australian speculative fiction. Works first published (and/or scheduled for publication) between 1 January 2026 and 30 November 2026 are eligible for the current Awards.

  • Entrants should submit their own original work and hold all relevant rights to submit.

  • Entrants should be Australian citizens or reside in Australia.

  • Entrants under 18 years are eligible but need permission from a guardian (contact QWC).

Traditionally published, independently published and self-published works (including works published on online platforms), whether available via purchase or freely available, are eligible. Unpublished work is not eligible.

Works that have been created in whole or in part with the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) are strictly forbidden from entry in the Aurealis Awards. This includes both written and illustrative content. By submitting, entrants certify that the work is entirely their own original creation. Any entry found to contain generative AI elements will be automatically disqualified.

Read the application guidelines for details on category-specific eligibility and apply now.

  • The Aurealis Awards accept submissions in electronic format. Submit the complete manuscript alongside author and publication details as requested in the online Entry Form. Accepted file formats:

    • Word (.docx)

    • PDF

    • EPUB

    To discuss options for making a hardcopy submission please contact QWC.

    To submit in EPUB format please complete the Entry Form then forward your file to aurealis@qldwriters.org.au.

  • Eligibility period – works published between: Thurs 1 Jan – Mon 30 Nov 2026 (inclusive)

    Entries open: Mon 29 Jun 2026

    Entries close: Tues 10 Nov 2026

    Shortlist announced: Jan 2027

    Awards Ceremony: Sat 20 Feb 2027 (at GenreCon, Brisbane)

    Entrants will be personally notified of the outcome of their entry. Shortlisted entrants will be publicly announced in the Pen & Pixel email newsletter and online. Winners will be announced at GenreCon in Brisbane in February 2027 and publicly announced shortly thereafter.

  • For specific prices, please see Entry Guidelines or Entry Form.

    Works should generally be submitted in the category that best matches the publisher and/or distributor’s category or genre designation, or if self-published, the sale category.

    Subsidies via the Fellowship and Access Fund may be available to support entries made by QWC members and the Aurealis community from diverse backgrounds and/or disadvantaged situations – contact the Centre for more information. The Fellowship and Access Fund is provided by donations from QWC members and the QWC Management Committee.

    Refunds are not available for ineligible entries and/or entries withdrawn outside of the entry period.

How It Works

An annual open call will be held for community volunteer judges. Interested parties from the diverse Australian speculative fiction community will be vetted for suitability and then invited to join category judging panels. To ensure fairness, judges will follow a strict scoring system and will only be allowed to serve for a maximum of two consecutive years per category.

Awards will be presented across distinct categories, including:

  • Best Novel, Novella, and Short Story (for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror)

  • Best Young Adult Novel and Short Story

  • Best Children's Fiction

  • Best Graphic Novel / Illustrated Work

  • Best Anthology and Collection

  • The Convenors’ Award for Excellence (recognising landmark achievements or bodies of work that bring significant credit to the genre)

  • The Sara Douglass Book Series Award (awarded only every three years – Next 2027)

Get Involved

Whether you are an author looking to submit your latest manuscript, an industry expert interested in joining a judging panel, or a reader wanting to attend the next gala at GenreCon, your place in our community is right here.

Volunteer Judges Callout

Find out more and log your expression of interest to judge for the Aurealis Awards.

Sign Up here

Donate to the Awards

Click here to donate and support the awards directly.

Donate

Sponsorships

Please contact the QWC at aurealis@qldwriters.org.au to discuss sponsorship opportunities

Contact us

A Rich History of Speculative Fiction

A Rich History of Speculative Excellence

Established in 1995 by Chimaera Publications (the team behind Aurealis magazine), the awards were created to carve out a rigorous space for speculative genres.

While other national accolades existed, the founders recognised the need for a dedicated, expert-led evaluation system that judged works specifically within their own subgenres and target age brackets.

Over the decades, the administration of the awards has travelled across the country, kept alive by the passion of the Australian speculative fiction community, volunteer guilds, and literary organisations.

For a more comprehensive history of the awards, check out the Aurealis Archives.

Key Milestones

1995

Chimaera Publications establishes the awards in Melbourne with four core categories: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Young Adult.

2001

A dedicated Children's Fiction category is introduced to honour speculative storytelling for younger readers.

2004 - 2022

The awards are hosted by dedicated regional groups nationwide, including Fantastic Queensland, SpecFaction NSW, Conflux Inc. (ACT), the Western Australian Science Fiction Foundation (WASFF), Continuum Foundation (Vic), and the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild (CSFG).

2026

Queensland Writers Centre officially integrates the Aurealis Awards ceremony into GenreCon, bringing the physical showcase back to Brisbane at the Thomas Dixon Centre.

Winners – 2025

  • Winner: Do Motorcycle Centaurs Dream of Five Stars and a Tip? by Corey Jae White & Maddison Stoff 

    Published by: Interzone, MYY Press

  • Winner: The Hidden God by T R Napper 

    Published by: Asimov’s Science Fiction March/April 2025

  • Winner: Wastelands by Samira Lloyd

    Published by: Arianhrod Press

  • Winner: Dying Mountain by Baden M Chant 

    Published by: Aurealis Magazine #177

  • Winner: Cinder House by Freya Marske 

    Published by: Pan Macmillan

  • Winner: Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods 

    Published by: HarperCollins Publishers

  • Winner: It Will Only Hurt If I Want It To by Kirstyn McDermott

    Published by: Midnight Echo #20, AHWA

  • Winner: Walpurgis by Ron Schroer 

    Published by: Strange Legacy 2025: Creature Feature, Thorncroft Legacy

  • Winner: Orpheus Nine by Chris Flynn 

    Published by: Hachette Australia

  • Winner: Crown Tourney by Tansy Rayner Roberts 

    Published by: Crown Tourney: Ten Tales of Deadly Damsels, Cursed Castles and Edged Weapons, self-published

  • Winner: The Serpent Called Mercy by Roanne Lau 

    Published by: New Dawn

  • Winner: Little Bones by Sandy Bigna

    Published by: UQP

  • Winner: The Leper’s Garden and Other Contagions by Jeff Clulow 

    Published by: Third Eye Press

  • Winner: AUSTRAL 2025 by Matt Richardson, Michaela Teschendorff & Ciar Fhearchair (Eds.) 

    Published by: Meridian Australis

  • Winner: Higher Ground by Tull Swannakit 

    Published by: New Frontier Publishing