Congratulations to UWA Publishing authors Julianne Negri and Helena Pantsis on being named winners in the 2026 Queensland Literary Awards!
Julianne Negri has won the Young Adult Book Award, supported by The University of Queensland, for her young adult verse novel The Belly of a Wolf.
Judges’ Comments:
Immersive and evocative, this coming-of-age verse novel follows fifteen-year-old Red as she navigates the sudden death of her best friend, Wolf. Negri masterfully weaves a classic fairy tale, high school heartbreak and indie rock into an unforgettable and extraordinary work of literature.
Helena Pantsis has won the Steele Rudd Award for a Short Story Collection for Mother Salad.
Judges’ Comments:
From the opening story, ‘Cottonmouth’, Mother Salad stands out as a masterful collection, skilfully deploying its surreal elements while also revealing the rich inner worlds of its characters. Helena Pantsis is a remarkable talent with an excellent command of narrative voice and a brilliant imagination.
Find out more: https://bwf.org.au/queensland-literary-awards/2026-winners
