The shortlist has been selected for the 2025 Miles Franklin Literary Award, which honors "the novel of the highest literary merit which presents Australian life in any of its phases." The shortlisted authors receive A$5,000 (about US$3,245) each, and the winner, to be named July 24, receives A$60,000 (about US$38,945). This year's shortlisted titles are:
Chinese Postman by Brian Castro
Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser (winner of the Stella Prize a month ago)
Dirt Poor Islanders by Winnie Dunn
Compassion by Julie Janson
Ghost Cities by Siang Lu
Highway 13 by Fiona McFarlane
The judges commented: "The shortlist for the 2025 Miles Franklin Literary Award celebrates writing that refuses to compromise. Each of these works vitalizes the form of the novel and invents new languages for the Australian experience."