Davitt Awards 2026 shortlists announced

Monday, 27 July 2026 Books+Publishing

Sisters in Crime has announced the shortlists for the 2026 Davitt Awards for the best crime books by Australian women.

The shortlisted titles in each category are:

Adult novels

At Cafe 64 (Shaeden Barry, Echo Publishing)
Learned Behaviours (Zeynab Gamieldien, Ultimo Press)
Unbury the Dead (Fiona Hardy, Affirm Press)
Mad Mabel (Sally Hepworth, Macmillan)
The Bluff (Joanna Jenkins, Allen & Unwin)
Melaleuca (Angie Faye Martin, HQ Fiction) (debut)

Nonfiction

Children’s

Judges’ chair Ruth Wykes said, “The shortlist showcases everything that’s exciting about Australian women crime writers in 2026. These stories are beautifully written. They are highly original and thought-provoking and reflect many of the challenges, conflicts, and often the things we love best, about contemporary Australian culture”.

Winners of each category award – along with recipients of additional awards for best debut and the readers’ choice award – will be announced at a gala dinner at Stamford Plaza in Melbourne on 12 September, presented by Dervla McTiernan and hosted by Louise Milligan.

Last year’s winners include To the River (Vikki Wakefield, Text), The Lasting Harm: Witnessing the Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell (Lucia Osborne-Crowley, Allen & Uunwin), Into the Mouth of the Wolf (Erin Gough, HGCP), The Midwatch (Judith Rossell, HGCP), What I Would Do to You (Georgia Harper, Vintage) and What Happened to Nina? (Dervla McTiernan, HarperCollins).

More information about the awards is available on the Sisters in Crime website.

Category: Awards Local news

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