Dr Fela’s publication, Critical Care: Nurses on the frontline of Australia’s AIDS crisis, has been shortlisted in the ‘Australian History’ category.

HIV and AIDS devastated communities across Australia in the 1980s and 1990s. Amid this profound health crisis, nurses provided crucial care to those living with and dying from the virus. They negotiated homophobia and complex family dynamics as well as defending the rights of their patients.

Critical Care: Nurses on the frontline of Australia’s AIDS crisis, published by NewSouth Publishing, brings together personal stories from across the country to document the care, compassion and solidarity shown by HIV and AIDS nurses. Read more in The Lighthouse.

“Critical Care brings to light the courage and compassion of nurses and their unions who stood at the frontline of Australia’s AIDS crisis,” says Dr Geraldine Fela.

“Beyond providing healthcare, they advocated for the agency of patients and affected communities, and there is much to learn from their work. I’m thrilled to be shortlisted for this award, and to have the stories and contributions of HIV and AIDS nurses acknowledged in this way.”

The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, established in 2008, recognise individual excellence and the contribution Australian authors make to the nation’s cultural and intellectual life. It is the richest literary prize in the nation with six categories: fiction, non-fiction, young adult literature, children’s literature, poetry and Australian history.

Entries are sought for books of high literary merit, and in the case of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Australian History, outstanding works of scholarly accomplishment that contribute significantly to an understanding of Australian history.

Critical Care: Nurses on the frontline of Australia’s AIDS crisis has previously received Highly Commended awards in the Ernest Scott Prize 2025 and Oral History Australia Book Award 2024.

Announcement of winning works will take place on 29 September 2025.