Lee Lai (born 1993) is an Australian cartoonist and writer of graphic novels. Lee was born in Australia but has lived in Canada since 2016. She is known for her debut graphic novel Stone Fruit, for which she was named an honoree of the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 award in 2021. The book was also a finalist for several other awards in the US and Australia. In 2025, Lai released Cannon, which in May 2026 became the first graphic novel to win the Stella Prize, with Lai being the first trans and non-binary person to win the prize.
Early life and education Lee Lai was born in 1993 in Melbourne and has a sister, with whom she is close.
Career Lai became interested in comics because of mild dyslexia, which made reading traditional novels difficult. Her short story comics have been published in The New Yorker, The Lifted Brow, Room Magazine, and Everyday Feminism.
She published her first graphic novel, Stone Fruit, in 2021, which was shortlisted for the Stella Prize in Australia. It is also the first time that it has been won by a transgender person.
Her 2025 graphic novel, Cannon, is about friendship. It won the Stella Prize in May 2026, becoming the first graphic novel to do so in the 14-year history of the prestigious award. It has also been shortlisted for the 2026 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards and the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction.
she has been working for some years as a cartoonist, to provide a regular income to live on.
Personal life Lai lives in Montreal. She moved there in 2016, in order to be able to make a living as a cartoonist and illustrator, owing to the larger market in North America.
Lai is transgender, non-binary, and gay.
Awards and honours YearTitleAwardResultRef.2020HeartwoodPrism Award for Anthology2021Stone FruitAmerican Library Association's Best Graphic Novels for AdultsIgnatz Award for Outstanding ArtistIgnatz Award for Outstanding Graphic NovelNational Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 Award2022Barbara Gittings Literature AwardCartoonist Studio PrizeDoug Wright Award for Best BookLambda Literary Award for Graphic Novel/ComicsLos Angeles Times Book Prize for Graphic Novel/ComicsAmerican Library Association's Over the Rainbow Book ListStella Prize 2025 CannonLos Angeles Times Book Prize for Graphic Novel/Comics Retrieved 2026-05-14. 2026Victorian Premier's Prize for FictionCarol Shields Prize for FictionCassandra Drudi, "15 books longlisted for 2026 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction". Quill & Quire, March 10, 2026.Stella Prize
Publications
Stone Fruit (2021) Cannon (2025)
Contributions
Heartwood: Non-binary Tales of Sylvan Fantasy, edited by Joamette Gil (2019) McSweeney's #62: The Queer Fiction Issue, edited by Patrick Cottrell, Dave Eggers (Editor), and Claire Boyle (Editor) (2020)
Illustrations
A Head-Heart Start For Life: Creative Mindful Discoveries for Young Children, written by Janet Etty-Leal (2019)
References