Darlo History, The AIDS Crisis & Controversial Mayors Spotlighted in 2025 NSW History Awards

The State Library of NSW has unveiled the shortlists for the 2025 NSW History Awards, whittling down 157 entries across six prize categories to just a handful of the nation’s most outstanding historical works.

With $85,000 in prize money on the line, the awards recognise excellence in research and storytelling, from sweeping national sagas to hyper-local tales that bring a single street corner vividly to life.

Minister for the Arts John Graham praised the shortlisted authors, saying their work “demonstrates excellence in historical research and highlights the vital role history plays in shaping how we understand the world. Works like these strengthen our society by deepening our shared understanding of the past.”

“This year’s shortlists for the NSW History Awards showcase works that bring the past alive through rigorous research and captivating storytelling,” said Senior Judge Professor Matthew Fitzpatrick. “Whether in books or on the screen, these works illustrate the erudition and endless innovation that Australian historians bring to new questions. Shortlisted works include intricate local histories, works of national importance and sweeping narratives conceived on a global scale. The fresh perspectives of this year’s shortlisted works are testament to the strength of history and history writing in Australia.”

The NSW Community and Regional History Prize

The three shortlisted entries for the NSW Community and Regional History Prize are truly remarkable local and community stories.

Politics, Pride and Perversion — Erik Eklund

Published by ANU Press, Erik Eklund’s Politics, Pride and Perversion dives into the rise and fall of Frank Arkell, the flamboyant and controversial former mayor of Wollongong. Eklund dissects the political scandals, power struggles and moral panics that defined Arkell’s public life — and the community’s shifting perception of him. Drawing on years of archival research and local interviews, the book offers a layered look at a city’s relationship with its most polarising political figure.

Eklund, a respected historian of regional Australia, has long been fascinated by the intersection of politics, morality, and public image. Here, he threads together a narrative that’s as much about Wollongong as it is about Arkell himself.

Critical Care — Geraldine Fela

In Critical Care (UNSW Press), Geraldine Fela documents the frontline fight against Australia’s AIDS crisis from the perspective of nurses — often the unsung heroes of a turbulent era. Through oral histories, archival material, and public health records, Fela reconstructs the fear, compassion, and political urgency that characterised the response in hospitals and community clinics.

Fela’s background as both a historian and a nurse brings authenticity and intimacy to the work. The book captures not just the professional challenges, but also the deeply personal connections forged in the wards at a time when stigma was rife and resources were scarce.

Yirranma Place — Alana Piper

Alana Piper’s Yirranma Place: Stories of a Darlinghurst Corner (NewSouth Publishing) unpacks the remarkable transformations of 262 Liverpool Street through Sydney’s history. This evocative book guides readers from its earliest days on Gadigal Country, through its time as a school, a church congregation, a political rally ground, and even a “party mansion”, to its current incarnation as Yirranma Place. Today, Yirranma Place has been lovingly restored and reimagined as a vibrant social-purpose precinct and philanthropic hub.

An urban historian with a particular interest in crime, gender and everyday life, Piper brings the grit and texture of Darlinghurst’s past into sharp focus, making this book both a local history and a microcosm of wider Sydney.

The full 2025 NSW History Awards shortlist

You can see the all of the shortlisted entries for the 2025 NSW History Awards here.

The winners of the NSW History Awards, including the NSW Community and Regional History Prize, will be announced at an awards ceremony at the State Library of NSW on Friday 5 September 2025, marking the start of NSW History Week.