FAQs

First, read the Guidelines, Terms and Conditions. Most of your questions are answered in the document. 
 
Fill out an online entry form on the How to Enter page. 

This award is presented and administered by Magabala Books. Please see their website for all entry details and inquiries. This awards is open Australia wide.

This award is administered by Magabala Books who focus on indigenous writers and stories. The government and the Library is pleased to support this award aimed at emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers for junior or young adult fiction.

The Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards are free to enter, however the cost of sending books to the State Library must be covered by the applicant.

Postage is preferred but you can hand deliver to the Welcome Desk on the Ground Floor of State Library of Western Australia during State Library opening hours. Please bring all copies of your books and a printed version of the mailing address label (emailed to you once the entry form is complete). The mailing address label MUST be included, incomplete drop offs may make your entry ineligible.’

Once you have completed an online entry form a confirmation email will be sent to you with a mailing address label. This label MUST be included with your book delivery

Yes. All four (4) copies are needed for the judging process and State Library records. 

If the entry is shortlisted you will be required to provide an additional five (5) copies of the book to facilitate additional judging

The 2026 Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards will open for entries from 12 January 2026 and close on 13 February 2026 at 5pm (WST). 

These awards will be for books published between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025.

Books may be submitted by authors, illustrators, publishers or literary agents. Publishers or literary agents must have the permission of the all author/s and illustrator/s.

Read the full eligibility criteria on the How to Enter page.

The author  must be substantively a Western Australian resident for a minimum of 12 months prior to the closing date of nominations in order to enter. Proof of residency may be required. However, The Daisy Utemorrah Award for Unpublished Indigenous Junior and YA Fiction is open Australia wide.

If a book has joint authorship, one of the authors must have been a Western Australian resident for a minimum of 12 months prior to the closing date of nominations. Joint authorship is defined here as meaning co-author or illustrator.

Joint authors must have the permission of the other author/s to enter the work.

If a work has joint authorship, one of the authors must have been a Western Australian resident for a minimum of 12 months prior to the closing date of nominations. Joint authorship is defined here as meaning co-authors or illustrators. Anthologies of poetry or short stories with three or more different authors and compiled by an editor are not eligible.

If you are entering the Emerging Writer Category with a co-authored book it must be the first published or self-published books for both the writer/s and illustrator. However, only one of the team needs to have been a Western Australian resident for a minimum of 12 months prior to the closing date of nominations.

Yes.

Books cannot be submitted into multiple categories. You must choose one category per book.

Authors who have published two or more books in the year can enter both books but must choose one category per book.

Yes, self-published books are eligible provided they have an ISBN number, are printed in book form and have been available for general sale.

The Award is for a first-ever published book, in any genre or style, written by an author/s who has not previously published or self-published a book-length work of prose, poetry and narrative non-fiction in book form.

In the case of joint authorship, both authors must meet these criteria. Joint authorship is defined here as meaning co-authors and illustrators. 

Any type of book is eligible to enter eg YA, childrens, poetry, thriller, history, etc.

Only books published between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025 will be eligible to enter.

You must complete an online entry form. If you do not have access to a computer or internet, your local library membership will allow free computer access.

A shortlist will be announced via the State Library’s social media channels @statelibrarywa and then published on the State Library of Western Australia’s website. Publishers and authors will then be notified by email if their entry has been shortlisted. Unsuccessful entries may not be advised personally of the results.

The 2026 awards will be announced in the second half of 2026.

Books and other entered material will not be returned. All published works will become the property of the State Library of Western Australia.

Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of submissions, there is no capacity to provide feedback.

Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards
State Library of Western Australia
Perth Cultural Centre
25 Francis Street
PERTH WA 6000

Email: premiersbookawards@slwa.wa.gov.au
Telephone: (08) 9427 3117