By arts editor Helen Musa

Canberra writer Sandy Bigna has won the $10,000 2026 ACT Book of the Year Award for Little Bones, it was announced at the National Library of Australia on Friday as part of the opening day of the Canberra Writers Festival.

Described by on publisher as a “gothic magic-realist verse novel,” Little Bones follows 11-year-old Bones, a young girl navigating grief and loss who has drifted away from her friends and is reluctant to make new ones. Using elements of magical realism, Bigna explores friendship, belonging and the difficult process of learning to let go.

Bigna, who studied children’s literature at the University of Canberra and spent time working in public libraries, is an advocate for local story-telling and founder of the Instagram account @aussie_kids_books.

Judges praised her book’s tender, poetic and assured storytelling, describing it as a profound meditation on grief, friendship and healing.

Two other authors from the year’s shortlist of seven received Highly Commended honours and $2000 each.

Merlinda Bobis was recognised for In the Name of the Trees, which weaves together the stories of women across generations, with Canberra and the Philippines providing the settings for a novel in which trees become witnesses and custodians of lived experience.

Martin Thomas received a Highly Commended honour for Clever Men, an exploration of the 1948 American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land and its consequences. The work examines cultural encounter, resilience and respect for First Nations knowledge systems.

ACT Arts Minister for Arts, Michael Pettersson, said the award, now in its 33rd year of recognising outstanding literary works published by Canberra-based authors in the previous calendar year, celebrated the strength of Canberra’s writing community.

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