Award-winning poet Eileen Chong has taken out the Premier’s Award at the 2026 South Australian Literary Awards for We Speak of Flowers, a moving and meditative exploration of grief.
The biennial awards were presented by the State Library of South Australia on Thursday 5 November, with winners announced across six national published awards and ten South Australian awards and fellowships. A total of $185,000 in prizes was awarded, drawn from 766 entries from across Australia.
It was a double win for Chong. We Speak of Flowers first took out the John Bray Poetry Award before being named the best overall published work, earning her the $25,000 Premier’s Award, presented by Assistant Minister for Arts, Sarah Andrews MP.
A richly layered and deeply intimate collection, We Speak of Flowers weaves together memory, history and possibility to explore grief and reflect on the lives of Chong and her grandmother. Its 101 pieces can be read in any order, allowing each reader to shape their own path through the work.
The judges said: “We selected We Speak of Flowers for its literary excellence, emotional depth and societal relevance. Exploring grief, loss, past heartaches and new challenges, the work reflects the need to rethink and reimagine even the past we hold dear.”
South Australian writers recognised
South Australian author Sharon Kernot was presented the Young Adult Award for Birdy, a beautifully crafted, lyrical novel about healing and hope that handles intense subject matter with humour, tenderness and emotional honesty.
Jamie Hornsby won the Jill Blewett Playwright’s Award for Python, a bold and immersive work exploring online toxicity, gendered abuse and creative exploitation with dark humour and psychological tension. Lara Saunders won the CreateSA Wakefield Press Unpublished Manuscript Award for Wash Dirt, Burn Water, an inventive historical novel praised for its fresh perspective and assured voice.
South Australian Fellowships were awarded to Aimee Knight for Heart of Felt, Dominic Guerrera for Pelican’s Bill, and Kate Strutton for Honeycrisp.
New awards celebrate young writers
This year also saw the introduction of the Carclew Young Writers Awards, recognising four young writers across two age categories. In the 8 to 12 category, Benjamin B was recognised for Mad About Elements by Gold AU and Eusoph J for The Ngaltiga Chronicles: Frostfall. In the 13 to 17 category, Katharina G was recognised for Achilles, Come Down and Lourdes C for Like Ribbons in Your Hair.
Matthew Russell received the inaugural Friends of the State Library of South Australia Deane Miller Fellowship for South Australia React, a project inviting children to explore and react to the State Library’s collections through short-form digital format.
Other national award winners
The Fiction Award went to Michelle de Kretser for Theory & Practice, set in 1980s Melbourne, following a young woman navigating postgraduate study, complicated relationships and questions of identity and belonging.
Micaela Sahhar was awarded the Non-Fiction Award for Find Me at the Jaffa Gate, an intimate exploration of family love and care within the Palestinian diaspora. Peter Carnavas was awarded the Children’s Literature Award for Leo and Ralph, a tender story exploring friendship, family and belonging.
For more information, visit saliteraryawards.com.au.
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