Overview

• External judges had selected Flawed Hero as the winner after staff compiled a six-book shortlist, according to reporting.
• In June 2025 the governing council reinstated a rule limiting eligibility to first-time or emerging authors, which disqualified Masters as an established author.
• The Australian War Memorial says its advertisements were inconsistent about the criteria and it will write to entrants with an apology and conduct a full governance review.
• Head of history Karl James argued for awarding the prize and warned of reputational risk in withholding it, while Masters said the decision reflected discomfort over the Roberts‑Smith controversy.
• Flawed Hero details reporting on alleged war crimes linked to Ben Roberts‑Smith, whose final appeal in his defamation case was rejected last week, and coverage notes donor Kerry Stokes’ past support for Roberts‑Smith and ties to the prize.