Nominations are now open for Waverley Council’s $40,000 Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award – one of Australia’s most valuable book prizes.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Council presenting this prestigious award, which celebrates excellence in research-based literature and remains the only prize of its calibre to be presented by a local government.
“Council is immensely proud to present the Nib, which helps to uphold Australian literary excellence,” said Mayor, Will Nemesh.
“The enduring presence of the Nib award ensures that important stories do not go untold and exceptional work is rightly celebrated.”
Prize categories include the Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award ($40,000), the Nib People’s Choice Prize ($4,000), and the Alex Buzo Shortlist Prize (six prizes of $1,500 each).
Previous winners include Helen Garner, Melissa Lucashenko, Clare Wright and Tim Low, with last year’s major prize awarded to historian Martin Thomas for his book Clever Men.
The Nib Literary Award is administered and presented annually by Waverley Council with the support of principal sponsors, Mark and Evette Moran and the ongoing commitment from community partner Gertrude & Alice Café Bookshop.
Entries are judged by an independent panel on literary merit, quality research, readability, and value to the community.
Nominations are open to Australian authors and publishers in all genres for literary works first published between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026.
Despite its national prestige, the award maintains deep roots within Sydney’s eastern suburbs, where it was first conceived by actor Chris Haywood at Waverley Library.
Nominations close Monday 15 June 2026. Entry guidelines and nomination details are available at waverley.nsw.gov.au/nib.
