The Year We Escaped Shortlisted for the 2026 NSW Literary Awards

Suzanne Leal's latest children's novel has been shortlisted for the Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature.

I’m delighted to share that The Year We Escaped has been shortlisted for the Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature at the 2026 NSW Literary Awards.

The Patricia Wrightson Prize is awarded for fiction, non-fiction or poetry written for children up to secondary school level. I’m honoured to be shortlisted alongside talented authors Michel Streich, Caroline Stills, Zoe Meagher and Julia Darling, Gus Gordon and Sandy Bigna.

The 2026 NSW Literary Awards recognise the depth and breadth of Australian writing, with a total of $320,000 awarded across 12 categories this year.

Winners will be announced on 18 May at The NSW Literary Awards at the State Library of NSW.