Six books, including two debut works, have made the shortlist for the 2015 Stella Prize, the nation's top women's literature award.
The esteemed accolade, now in its third year, celebrates Australian women's literary contributions.
The finalists range from a best-selling political short story collection to an exploration of the human race's social DNA.
Director of the Stella Prize, Aviva Tuffield, hailed the books for exploring "themes of identity, family, displacement and belonging, with distinctly Australian resonances".
Open to both fiction and non-fiction titles, the winner receives $50,000 while the shortlisted authors receive $2000.
More than 150 entries were submitted to the prize this year.
The winner will be announced in Melbourne on April 21.
The prize is named after one of Australia's most renowned female authors, Stella Maria "Miles" Franklin.
2015 STELLA PRIZE SHORTLIST
* Foreign Soil, Maxine Beneba Clarke
* The Strays, Emily Bitto (debut)
* The Invisible History of the Human Race, Christine Kenneally
* The Eye of the Sheep, Sofie Laguna
* The Golden Age, Joan London
* Heat and Light, Ellen van Neerven (debut)
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