Penguin Random House Australia has done it again: The Australian publishing group was named “Publisher of the Year” for the third consecutive year at last week’s Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs). Over the past six years, PRH Australia has won the coveted award five times in total – in 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, and now again in 2026.
The “Publisher of the Year” award is the highest honor in the Australian publishing industry. This year, the ABIAs judges particularly highlighted the publishing group’s strong employee retention and inclusion policies, while also praising its thoughtful editorial curation and focus on author care. The jury also recognized PRH Australia’s commitment to children’s literacy through the launch of the “Penguin Australia’s Children’s Booksellers Grant” – “at a time when it is most needed,” as the judges noted. The program provides financial support to bookstores for initiatives that promote children’s reading.
‘An incredibly strong year in 2025’
Given the sales growth, continued market share gains, and significant investment in the supply chain, including the launch of a new state-of-the-art warehouse, the judges concluded that Penguin Random House Australia had “an incredibly strong year in 2025.” Julie Burland, CEO of PRH Australia, said: “Winning Publisher of the Year for the third consecutive year is an extraordinary achievement and reflects the passion, creativity, and commitment of our entire team. We are incredibly proud to be recognized not only for our publishing success, but also for our investment in authors, staff culture, sustainability, and the future of Australian reading.”
Further ABIA awards for PRH Australia
Additional honors for PRH Australia that evening included the “Campaign of the Year” award for the Cherry Lam coloring books, the “Book of the Year for Older Children” award for “Wandering Wild” by Lynette Noni, and the “Literary Fiction Book of the Year” award for “Wild Dark Shore” by Charlotte McConaghy. In addition, publisher Text Publishing, which has been part of PRH Australia since the beginning of 2025 (see related article), received the “General Non Fiction Book of the Year” award for “The Mushroom Tapes” by Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper, and Sarah Krasnostein.
