More Award Love for Lili Wilkinson’s Unhallowed Halls

We’re delighted to share exciting news about Festival Presenter Lili Wilkinson. Her most recent novel, Unhallowed Halls, has been shortlisted for the 2026 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Award for Older Readers—a significant recognition from one of Australia’s most respected literary bodies.

This latest honour builds on an already impressive year for Unhallowed Halls. As we reported earlier in our newsreel, the title was also nominated for the 2026 Aurealis Awards in February, celebrating excellence in Australian fantasy and speculative fiction.

The CBCA shortlist highlights books of outstanding literary merit and appeal for young people, and Unhallowed Halls continues to captivate readers and critics alike with its dark atmosphere, compelling characters, and masterful storytelling.

We congratulate Lili on this wonderful achievement and look forward to welcoming her to the Festival, where audiences will have the chance to hear more about Unhallowed Halls and her broader body of work.