Rachel Morton wins 2026 Barbara Jefferis Award

By The Book Source10 November 2026

Deal Sheet card: The Sun Was Electric Light

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Key detailsThe Book Source

PrizeBarbara Jefferis Award 2026

WinnerRachel Morton

BookThe Sun Was Electric Light (debut novel)

PublisherUniversity of Queensland Press

Prize money$50,000 to the winner, with $5,000 shared among the shortlist

Awarded forThe best novel by an Australian author that depicts women and girls in a positive way or otherwise empowers the status of women and girls in society; awarded every two years

JudgesJaclyn Crupi (chair), Tara June Winch and Lucy Treloar

ShortlistTranslations by Jumaana Abdu (Penguin Random House Australia); Theory and Practice by Michelle de Kretser (Text Publishing); Rapture by Emily Maguire (Allen & Unwin); The Sun Was Electric Light by Rachel Morton (University of Queensland Press); A Piece of Red Cloth by Leonie Norrington, Djawundil Maymuru, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs and Djawa Burarrwanga (Allen & Unwin); Out of the Woods by Gretchen Shirm (Transit Lounge)

Administered byAustralian Society of Authors, supported by the Barbara Jefferis Literary Fund

Announced10 November 2026, at the Colin Simpson Memorial Keynote in Sydney

Original source: Australian Society of Authors ↗

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