The Walkley Foundation today announced the shortlist for the Walkley Book Award, part of Australia’s most prestigious journalism accolades, the Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism.
The Walkley Book Award celebrates Australian writers who take enduring subjects from news, eyewitness accounts, investigations and history. Their books bring readers immersive detail, clear analysis and new revelations.
Books entered this year spanned politics, war, business, crime, history, art, Indigenous issues, biography, sport, social change and investigative journalism. From these, eight books were longlisted in October, and of this selection, three have been shortlisted as finalists.
The 2026 Walkley Book Award shortlisted finalists announced today are (in alphabetical order):
- Martin McKenzie-Murray, Sirens, Black Inc.
- Steven Schubert, Death in Yuendumu, HarperCollins Publishers
- Paul Toohey, The Fatal Island, Simon & Schuster
The winner of the 2026 Walkley Book Award will be announced as part of the 71st Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism on 19 November 2026. A full list of Walkley Awards finalists is available online.
You can find information about the Walkley Awards judging process here and the Terms and Conditions of the Awards here.
For media enquiries contact James Gorman on james.gorman@walkleys.com