The Australian Book Industry Awards have just released their 2021 shortlist, with the final winners to be announced at a star-studded event on April 28th at Sydney’s Carriageworks.
In an ABIA first, a limited number of tickets to the awards night will be available to the general public. And for anyone who can’t make it to the Casey Bennetto hosted event, it will also be livestreamed on YouTube.
Confirmed attendees (a mix of in person and virtual) include Charlotte Wood, Michael Robotham, Courtney Act, the Hon Paul Fletcher, Trent Dalton, Malcolm Turnbull, Nat’s What I Reckon, Matt Okine and Turia Pitt.
Cate Blanchett will appear via video to present the Book of the Year, and award-goers/viewers can also expect a very special performance from Ash Grundwald.
But, of course, the real stars of the show are the books (and the authors!) themselves, so let’s take a look at the titles the ABIA judging panel will have to choose from in the run-up to awards night.
Audio Book of the Year
Tell Me Why – Archie Roach, narrated by Archie Roach
(Sound Kitchen, Simon & Schuster Australia, Simon & Schuster Australia)
The Happiest Man on Earth – Eddie Jaku, narrated by Jacek Koman
(Macmillan Australia Audio, Pan Macmillan Australia)
Phosphorescence: On awe, wonder & things that sustain you when the world goes dark – Julia Baird, narrated by Julia Baird
(Bolinda, HarperAudio, HarperCollins Publishers)
Mammoth – Chris Flynn, narrated by Rupert Degas
(Wavesound, Wavesound)
Honeybee – Craig Silvey, narrated by Harvey Zielinsky
(Wavesound/Allen & Unwin, Wavesound/Allen & Unwin)
Biography Book of the Year
A Bigger Picture – Malcolm Turnbull
(Hardie Grant Publishing, Hardie Grant Books)
Boy on Fire: The Young Nick Cave – Mark Mordue
(HarperCollins Publishers, Fourth Estate)
Paul Kelly – Stuart Coupe
(Hachette Australia Pty Ltd, Hachette Australia)
The Happiest Man on Earth – Eddie Jaku
(Pan Macmillan Australia, Macmillan Australia)
Truganini – Cassandra Pybus
(Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
Book of the Year for Older Children (ages 13+)
Aurora Burning: The Aurora Cycle 2 – Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
(Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
Future Girl – Asphyxia
(Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
Jane Doe and the Key of All Souls – Jeremy Lachlan
(Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)
Please Don’t Hug Me – Kay Kerr
(Text Publishing, Text Publishing)
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London – Garth Nix
(Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
Book of the Year for Younger Children (ages 7-12)
Finding Our Heart – Thomas Mayor, illustrated by Blak Douglas
(Hardie Grant Publishing, Hardie Grant Travel)
Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow – Jessica Townsend
(Hachette Australia Pty Ltd, Lothian Children’s Books)
The Grandest Bookshop in the World – Amelia Mellor
(Affirm Press, Affirm Press)
The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals – Sami Bayly
(Hachette Australia Pty Ltd, Lothian Children’s Books)
Took The Children Away – Archie Roach, illustrated by Ruby Hunter
(Simon & Schuster Australia , Simon & Schuster Australia)
Children’s Picture Book of the Year (ages 0-6)
Bluey: The Creek – Bluey
(Penguin Random House, Puffin)
Our Home, Our Heartbeat – Adam Briggs, Kate Moon and Rachael Sarra
(Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, Little Hare)
Sing Me the Summer – Jane Godwin and Alison Lester
(Affirm Press, Affirm Press)
When We Say Black Lives Matter – Maxine Beneba Clarke
(Hachette Australia Pty Ltd, Lothian Children’s Books)
Windows – Jonathan Bentley and Patrick Guest
(Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, Little Hare)
General Fiction Book of the Year
The Dictionary of Lost Words – Pip Williams
(Affirm Press, Affirm Press)
The Godmothers – Monica McInerney
(Penguin Random House, Michael Joseph)
The Good Turn – Dervla McTiernan
(HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins Publishers)
The Morbids – Ewa Ramsey
(Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
The Survivors – Jane Harper
(Pan Macmillan Australia, Macmillan Australia)
General Non-fiction Book of the Year
Phosphorescence: On awe, wonder and things that sustain you when the world goes dark – Julia Baird
(HarperCollins Publishers, Fourth Estate)
The Golden Maze: A biography of Prague – Richard Fidler
(HarperCollins Publishers, ABC Books)
The Space Between – Michelle Andrews and Zara McDonald
(Penguin Random House, Viking)
Un-cook Yourself: A Ratbag’s Rules for Life – Nat’s What I Reckon
(Penguin Random House, Ebury Australia)
Women and Leadership – Julia Gillard and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
(Penguin Random House, Vintage Australia)
Illustrated Book of the Year
A Year of Simple Family Food – Julia Busuttil Nishimura
(Pan Macmillan Australia, Plum)
Beatrix Bakes – Natalie Paull
(Hardie Grant Publishing, Hardie Grant Books)
In Praise of Veg – Alice Zaslavsky
(Allen & Unwin, Murdoch Books)
Loving Country – Bruce Pascoe and Vicky Shukuroglou
(Hardie Grant Publishing, Hardie Grant Travel)
Plantopedia – Lauren Camilleri and Sophia Kaplan
(Smith Street Books, Smith Street Books)
International Book of the Year
A Promised Land – Barack Obama
(Penguin Random House, Viking)
Greenlights – Matthew McConaughey
(Hachette Australia Pty Ltd, Headline)
Ottolenghi FLAVOUR – Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage
(Penguin Random House, Ebury Press)
Such a Fun Age – Kiley Reid
(Bloomsbury Publishing, Bloomsbury Circus)
Women Don’t Owe You Pretty – Florence Given
(Hachette Australia Pty Ltd, Cassell)
Literary Fiction Book of the Year
A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing – Jessie Tu
(Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
A Room Made of Leaves – Kate Grenville
(Text Publishing, Text Publishing)
All Our Shimmering Skies – Trent Dalton
(HarperCollins Publishers, Fourth Estate)
Honeybee – Craig Silvey
(Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
Sorrow and Bliss – Meg Mason
(HarperCollins Publishers, Fourth Estate)
Small Publishers’ Adult Book of the Year
Glimpses of Utopia: Real ideas for a fairer world – Jess Scully
(Pantera Press, Pantera Press)
Living on Stolen Land – Ambelin Kwaymullina
(Magabala Books)
Stone Sky Gold Mountain – Mirandi Riwoe
(University of Queensland Press, UQP)
The Animals in That Country – Laura Jean McKay
(Scribe Publications, Scribe Publications)
The Rain Heron – Robbie Arnott
(Text Publishing, Text Publishing)
Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year
Bindi – Kirli Saunders, illustrated by Dub Leffler
(Magabala Books)
Family – Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson, illustrated by Jasmine Seymour
(Magabala Books)
Found – Bruce Pascoe and Charmaine Ledden-Lewis
(Magabala Books)
Metal Fish, Falling Snow – Cath Moore
(Text Publishing, Text Publishing)
My Shadow is Pink – Scott Stuart
(Larrikin House Publishing, Larrikin House)
The Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year
A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing – Jessie Tu
(Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
Lucky’s – Andrew Pippos
(Pan Macmillan Australia, Picador Australia)
Song of the Crocodile – Nardi Simpson
(Hachette Australia Pty Ltd, Hachette Australia)
The Coconut Children – Vivian Pham
(Penguin Random House, Vintage Australia)
The Morbids – Ewa Ramsey
(Allen & Unwin, Allen & Unwin)
For more info on the awards, please see the ABIA website HERE.
You can grab tickets to the awards night HERE, and you’ll find the ABIA YouTube HERE.
