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The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and HQ, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, are thrilled to announce that the 2026 ASA/HQ Fiction Prize is now open for submissions.
The biennial prize is offered to the author of the best unpublished manuscript, and the winner will receive a publishing contract with HQ, with a $10,000 advance against royalties. The runner-up will receive $500 and a year’s membership with the ASA.
Submissions open on 26 November 2025 at 3:00 pm AEDT and will close on 30 January 2026 at 5:00 pm AEDT. The shortlist will be announced 29 April 2026 and the winner announced 13 May 2026.
The 2026 prize will be the fourth time the ASA/HQ Fiction Prize has been awarded. The 2024 winner was Kathleen Hastings with Hendrickje: Rembrandt’s Bathsheba. The ASA/HQ Fiction Prize has also launched the writing careers of two earlier winners: Ayesha Inoon with Untethered, published in June 2023 and highly recommended for both The ACT Book of the Year 2024 and the ACT Literary Awards 2024 Fiction; and Sally Bothroyd with Brunswick Street Blues, published in March 2022 and shortlisted for the 2023 Danger Award.
Entering the prize also led to the successful publication of three shortlisted authors: Arianne James, with the upcoming novel Daughters of the Tide, weaving historical fiction with folklore and Tasmanian gothic, publishing July 2026; Kathy George with Sargasso, a genre-bending gothic drama published in February 2021; and Stella Quinn’s contemporary romance The Vet from Snowy River published in June 2021. Both Kathy George and Stella Quinn have gone on to publish multiple novels with HQ and have new novels due out in 2026 and 2027.
ASA CEO Lucy Hayward said, ‘We are delighted to partner with HQ once again to offer this publishing opportunity, which throughout the years has uncovered some exciting Australian talent. We cannot wait to see what this year’s submissions bring.’
Jo Mackay, Head of Publishing for HQ, said, ‘It’s been a joy to see this prize birth so many stellar author careers on the HQ list. I have no doubt that this year’s competition will continue to showcase the same high-quality manuscripts from writers who will go on to great things.’
