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Australian Business Book Awards 2026: Entries Open 6 July (and What Judges Look For)
Entries for the 2026 Australian Business Book Awards open Monday 6 July and close Friday 21 August.
If you’ve published a business book between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026, and you’re an author based in Australia or New Zealand, your book is eligible to enter. Both traditionally published and self-published books are welcome.
The 2026 categories are:
- Entrepreneurship and Small Business
- General Business
- Health and Wellbeing
- Leadership
- Management and HR
- Personal Development
- Personal Finance and Investment
- Specialist Business
It’s an honour and so much fun to be returning as an official judge in 2026, which means another preliminary judging day surrounded by piles of books, fellow book nerds and a cacophony of opinions over content and covers.
Shortlisted books are then sent to multiple judges for a proper deep dive. I love reading my allocation cover to cover, always learning something new and often taking the ideas into my own life and business. (A quick note for transparency: judges can’t assess any book where they know the author or have been involved in the book during the publishing process, that way the process stays rigorous and fair.)
So, what should you keep in mind if you’re thinking of entering? In past judging rounds, books have been assessed across areas including subject expertise and insight, suitability for target market, quality of writing, editing and proofreading, cover design (yes, including the spine and back cover copy), book structure, originality of thought, internal formatting, print quality, author bio, and title and subtitle.
That’s a long list, and it’s a useful one to guide your approach to your manuscript and the publishing of it, even if you never enter an award!
One thing that consistently separates finalists from the rest of the field isn’t budget or publisher; it’s originality of thought, a strong writing voice and great presentation. Judges read a lot of books on similar topics. The ones that stand out have that extra bit of insight, authenticity, electricity and usability. Yes, I find there are plenty of competent books out there, but what I look for, as a judge, are the GREAT books…the ones that change me by making me think, feel and do.
Entering a legitimate award like this can bring your book recognition and social proof, and bring you a welcome confidence boost. The flip side is that not making the list can sting. If that happens, remind yourself the competition is fierce (it really is!), and that you’ve already achieved something significant; you envisioned a book and finished it!
Founded by Andrew Griffiths and Michael Hanrahan, the awards are non-profit and attract a strong field every year.
You can find all the entry details at https://www.businessbookawards.com.au/
Good luck!
Anna