2025 Winners Western Australian Premier's Book Awards winners

The Apprentice Witnesser by Bren Mac Dibble

A deep and heartfelt piece of speculative fiction, The Apprentice Witnesser offers nuanced social commentary with a story that pulls the reader forward. Moving and full of pleasant surprises this is a story that offers young readers an immersive experience.

Courage be my Friend by Jenny Davis

A beautifully written story of the friendship between Vivian Bullwinkel and young Edith Kennison. Courage be my Friend does not shy away from the fact that war is brutal, but the friendship lifts an otherwise tragic story to one of hope, survival and resilience, showing young readers the courage needed in the face of such adversity and horror.

Goodnight, Joeys by Renée Treml

Beautiful production, perfect rhyme and gentle learning. Young children will enjoy the illustrations while learning about nature and the different shapes and sizes of Australian marsupials. A perfect recipe to get a cheeky little one off to sleep. 

When the World Was Soft by Juluwarlu Group

A beautiful introduction to the stories of the Yindjibarndi people. The graphic novel illustrations are stunning, and the stories are told in an engaging and informative way that makes the Yindjibarndi culture, language, mythology and history approachable to all. A beautiful and important book for present and future generations of First Nations people and all Australians.

Dreamwalker #1 by Scott Wilson, Molly Hunt and Chris Wood

Dreamwalker is a masterful comic that showcases genuine innovation in engaging you adult audiences in First Nations storytelling. Using iconic comic book aesthetics and action, it offers something new and exciting through reverence for Country and First Nations cosmology and language. It elevates Gooniyandi women and provides an action-packed narrative that will leave readers excited for the next instalment.

Liar's Test by Ambelin Kwaymullina

Liar’s Test is a fantasy adventure story steeped in allegories from First Nations’ history and experience. The book is informed by compelling, rich world-building, and the characters and their journeys allow the reader to reflect on the legacies of racism and the multi-generational trauma of colonialism. An exciting, compelling Australian fantasy.

Trackers by Donna Hughes

Dystopian, fantasy, big tech and relationships, Trackers has it all. Well written with style and language consistent to the Young Adult audience and themes that manage to be both topical and timeless this play is cleverly designed to be performed by a cast of any genders and provides room for each production to draw from their local context. An engaging pacey plot, protagonists with agency and an ending that will leave audiences in a state of constant vigilance.

A Wreck of Seabirds by Karleah Olson

A Wreck of Seabirds is an atmospheric, meditative book that ties rich coastal imagery to the depth of grief and human experience. Cleverly told through short chapters that go back and forth in time and place, the writing is very tight yet evocative. Its complex and mature themes resonate long after reading it.

Personal Logistics by Chris Palazzolo

With a unique and strong voice, Personal Logistics invites readers into life in the East Kimberley. By elevating small interactions through evocative imagery this collection finds moments of lyricism in it’s attention to craft and style. 

Tossed Up by the Beak of a Cormorant by Nandi Chinna and Anne Poelina

Topical, evocative, coherent. Tossed Up by the Beak of a Commorant is a compelling collection by two eco-poets intent on educating and sharing a feminist, indigenous sensibility.

How to Avoid a Happy Life by Julia Lawrinson 

Often funny, occasionally moving and always thought provoking How to Avoid a Happy Life is a riveting memoir of a truly extraordinary life. A strong, fresh take on personal reflection and memoir it stands out with its voice and perspective.

In Hot Water: Inside the battle to save the Great Barrier Reef by Paul Hardisty

Artfully written, moving and accessible. This book blends memoir with climate science, history and politics to tell a profound story about the fight to save the Great Barrier Reef. Highly accessible and impactful, In Hot Water makes complex environmental issues understandable and relatable through personal storytelling.

Jilya by Tracy Westerman

Part memoir, part reflection on the state of psychology for Aboriginal people. Jilya is meticulously crafted, showing rigorous research with a flowing narrative that makes complex topics accessible. A beautiful, impactful, tribute to family and patients and an inspiring call to action.

Some People Want to Shoot Me by Wayne Bergmann & Madelaine Dickie

A powerful and thought-provoking memoir that is engaging from start to finish. Exploring personal history as well as social and political commentary, Some People Want to Shoot Me expertly blends emotional depth, resilience, and moments of humour, creating a vivid personal narrative.

Cutler by David Whish-Wilson

A gripping and fast paced story rich in visceral detail. Cutler is an engaging exploration of the intersectional damage done by commercial fishing. Readers are thrown mercilessly into the murky world of undercover fishing in this impeccably researched, ripping page turner.

Death Holds the Key by Alexander Thorpe

With snappy pacing and deft scene-setting Death Holds the Key is a homage to classic detective fiction. Polished and thoughtful, with a rogue’s gallery of compelling and oddball characters and a strong invocation of time and place, this whodunnit is a fantastic example of clever, witty writing that is a joy to read.

A Home in Her by Sarah Winifred Searle

A graphic novel for mature readers, A Home in Her smoothly interweaves themes of language and translation, queerness, wildness and belonging. Beautifully crafted illustrations and characters in which readers will recognise themselves come together for a story about love, intimacy and being different.

Once by Annie Raser-Rowland

A sprawling plot with a sense of scope that widened and contracted with elegance. Once is a meditation on the interconnectedness of the human and non-human world, and human and non-human lives across centuries. Elegant and precise writing with crystal detail and visceral force.

Down the Rabbit Hole by Shaeden Berry 

Gripping from the very first page with a compelling blend of present narrative interspersed with shadows from the past. The mystery at the centre of the story presents many potential threads that the reader is desperate to unravel alongside the protagonist herself, as she goes searching for clues to finally put the ghosts of her past to rest. Down the Rabbit Hole is engaging and well-paced, drawing the reader into the flawed, fractured world of the protagonist.

Fragile Creatures: A Memoir by Khin Myint

A heartrending, intelligent and moving memoir that combines family, truth and suffering. Through emotive and pragmatic story telling Fragile Creatures explores masculinity, impairment and cultural identity in an honest, engaging and insightful way. An important book.

The Moment of the Essay: Australian Letters and Personal Essay by Daniel Juckes 

A collection of essays about writing essays. Fresh and of the times, yet simultaneously reverent to past influences. Exploring the growth and popularity of personal essay writing in Australia, The Moment of the Essay is expertly researched, deeply engaging, and truly thought-provoking.

The Skeleton House by Katherine Allum

A compelling novel with an engaging and assertive main protagonist that explores themes of coercive control, domestic and financial violence. Complex, well rounded characters and a tightly held plot that slowly reveals itself makes this story as beautiful as it is devastating.

Noble Intentions by Krista Dunstan

Krista Dunstan is a proud Noongar woman and aspiring writer raised in Esperance, Western Australia and living in Boorloo (Perth). Krista is a mother of two and a human rights advocate who has dedicated her career to shaping the policies and practices that influence our communities across the legal, government and corporate sectors. Krista strongly believes that our modern Australian community must be built upon the proper respect for First Nations peoples and the full acknowledgment of Australia’s history, in all of its light and darkness. Having spent her childhood exploring the stunning local bush and coast line, Krista wanted to share it’s beauty with the rest of Australia. Krista's first book, Noble Intentions, is set alongside her hometown in the magical southwest and starts to explore the importance of family in shaping both our identity and our future. 

The Takeback Heist by Jannali Jones

Jannali Jones is a Gunai writer and editor. Her debut novel, My Father’s Shadow was published by Magabala Books. Recently she was awarded the 2024-25 First Nations fellowship with Brink Productions, was part of the editorial team on the literary journal Splinter and wrote and produced the award-winning play, Trail’s End, as part of the 2024 Adelaide Fringe Festival. Her work has been published in Australia and overseas, including both fiction and non-fiction, spanning across genres and forms. She completed a Master of Arts in Creative Writing at the University of Technology, Sydney.