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Victorian Premier's Literary Awards

The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry. As of 2013, it is reportedly Australia's richest literary prize with the top winner receiving A$125,000 and category winners A$25,000 each.[1]

The awards were established in 1985 by John Cain, Premier of Victoria, to mark the centenary of the births of Vance and Nettie Palmer, two of Australia's best-known writers and critics who made significant contributions to Victorian and Australian literary culture.

From 1986 till 1997, the awards were presented as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival. In 1997 their administration was transferred to the State Library of Victoria.[2] By 2004, the total prize money was A$180,000. In 2011, stewardship was taken over by the Wheeler Centre.

Winners 2011–present

Beginning in 2011,[3] the awards were restructured into 5 categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Drama and Young People's. The winner of each receives $25,000. Of those 5 winners, one is chosen as the overall winner of the Victorian Prize for Literature and receives an additional $100,000. There are two other categories with different prize amounts: an honorary People's Choice Award voted on by readers, and an Unpublished Manuscript Award with a prize amount of $15,000.[1] In 2022 an Award for Children's Literature valued at $25,000 was added, with entries being accepted in 2023.[4]

Shortlists are maintained in the main article for each category.

Victorian Prize for Literature

YearAuthorTitleRef.
2011Kim ScottThat Deadman Dance[5]
2012Bill GammageThe Biggest Estate on Earth[6]
2013Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013.

Previous awards were based on the year of publication.

2014Jennifer MaidenLiquid Nitrogen[7]
2015Alan AtkinsonThe Europeans in Australia: Volume Three: Nation[8]
2016Mary Anne ButlerBroken[9]
2017Leah PurcellThe Drover's Wife[10]
2018Sarah KrasnosteinThe Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in Death, Decay & Disaster[11]
2019Behrouz BoochaniNo Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison[12]
2020S. Shakthidharan with Eamon FlackCounting and Cracking[13]
2021Laura Jean McKayThe Animals in That Country[14]
2022Veronica GorrieBlack and Blue: A Memoir of Racism and Resilience[15]
2023Jessica AuCold Enough for Snow[16]
2024Grace YeeChinese Fish[17]

Fiction

For winners from 1985 to 2010, see Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction.

YearAuthorTitleRef.
2011Kim ScottThat Deadman Dance[5]
2012Gillian MearsFoal's Bread[6]
2013Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013.

Previous awards were based on the year of publication.

2014Alex MillerCoal Creek[7]
2015Rohan WilsonTo Name Those Lost[8]
2016Mireille JuchauThe World Without Us[9]
2017Georgia BlainBetween a Wolf and a Dog[10]
2018Melanie ChengAustralia Day[11]
2019Elise ValmorbidaThe Madonna of the Mountains[12]
2020Christos TsiolkasDamascus[13]
2021Laura Jean McKayThe Animals in That Country[14]
2022Melissa ManningSmokehouse[15]
2023Jessica AuCold Enough for Snow[16]
2024Melissa LucashenkoEdenglassie[17]

Nonfiction

For winners from 1985 to 2010, see the Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction.

YearAuthorTitleRef.
2011Mark McKennaAn Eye for Eternity: The Life Of Manning Clark[5]
2012Bill GammageThe Biggest Estate on Earth[6]
2013Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013.

Previous awards were based on the year of publication.

2014Henry ReynoldsForgotten War[7]
2015Alan AtkinsonThe Europeans in Australia: Volume Three: Nation[8]
2016Gerald MurnaneSomething for the Pain[9]
2017Madeline GleesonOffshore: Behind the Wire on Manus[10]
2018Sarah KrasnosteinThe Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in Death, Decay & Disaster[11]
2019Behrouz BoochaniNo Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison[12]
2020Christina ThompsonSea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia[13]
2021Paddy ManningBody Count: How Climate Change Is Killing Us[14]
2022Amani HaydarThe Mother Wound[15]
2023Eda GunaydinRoot & Branch: Essays on Inheritance[16]
2024Ellen van NeervenPersonal Score: Sport, Culture, Identity[17]

Poetry

For winners from 1985 to 2010, see the C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry.

YearAuthorTitleRef.
2011Cate KennedyThe Taste of River Water[5]
2012John KinsellaArmour[6]
2013Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013.

Previous awards were based on the year of publication.

2014Jennifer MaidenLiquid Nitrogen[7]
2015Jill JonesThe Beautiful Anxiety[8]
2016Alan LoneyCrankhandle[11]
2017Maxine Beneba ClarkeCarrying the World[10]
2018Bella LiArgosy[11]
2019Kate LilleyTilt[12]
2020Charmaine Papertalk GreenNganajungu Yagu[13]
2021David StavangerCase Notes[14]
2022Maria TakolanderTrigger Warning[15]
2023Gavin Yuan GaoAt the Altar of Touch[16]
2024Grace YeeChinese Fish[17]

Writing for Young Adults

For winners from 1985 to 2010, see the Victorian Premier's Prize for Young Adult Fiction.

YearAuthorTitleRef.
2011Cassandra GoldsThe Three Loves of Persimmon[5]
2012John LarkinThe Shadow Girl[6]
2013Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013.

Previous awards were based on the year of publication.

2014Barry JonsbergMy Life as an Alphabet[7]
2015Claire ZornThe Protected[8]
2016Marlee Jane WardWelcome to Orphancorp[9]
2017Randa Abdel-FattahWhen Michael met Mina[10]
2018Demet DivarorenLiving on Hope Street[11]
2019Ambelin Kwaymullina and Ezekiel KwaymullinaCatching Teller Crow[12]
2020Helena FoxHow It Feels to Float[13]
2021Cath MooreMetal Fish, Falling Snow[14]
2022Felicity CastagnaGirls in Boys' Cars[15]
2023Kate MurrayWe Who Hunt the Hollow[16]
2024Lili WilkinsonA Hunger of Thorns[17]

Drama

For winners from 1985 to 2010, see the Louis Esson Prize for Drama.

YearAuthorTitle
2011Patricia CorneliusDo not go gentle…[5]
2012Lally KatzA Golem Story[6]
2013Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013.

Previous awards were based on the year of publication.

2014Patricia CorneliusSavages[7]
2015Angus CeriniResplendence[8]
2016Mary Anne ButlerBroken[9]
2017Leah PurcellThe Drover's Wife[10]
2018Michele LeeRice[11]
2019Kendall FeaverThe Almighty Sometimes[12]
2020S. Shakthidharan with Eamon FlackCounting and Cracking[13]
2021Angus CeriniWonnangatta[14]
2022Dylan Van Den BergMilk[15]
2023John HarveyThe Return[16]
2024S. Shakthidharan and Eamon FlackThe Jungle and the Sea[17]

People's Choice Award

YearAuthorTitleRef.
2011Anna KrienInto The Woods: The Battle for Tasmania's Forests[5]
2012Aidan FennessyNational Interest[6]
2013Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013.

Previous awards were based on the year of publication.

2014Hannah KentBurial Rites[7]
2015Tim LowWhere Song Began[8]
2016Miles AllinsonFever of Animals[9]
2017Randa Abdel-FattahWhen Michael met Mina[10]
2018Alison EvansIda[11]
2019Bri LeeEggshell Skull[12]
2020Chloe HigginsThe Girls[13]
2021Louise MilliganWitness: An Investigation into the Brutal Cost of Seeking Justice[14]
2022Rebecca LimTiger Daughter[15]
2023Karlie Noon and Krystal De NapoliAstronomy: Sky Country[16]
2024Antony LoewensteinThe Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World[17]

Unpublished Manuscript

For winners from 2003 to 2010, see the main article. No award was presented in 2011.

YearAuthorTitleRef.
2012Graeme SimsionThe Rosie Project[18]
2013Maxine Beneba ClarkeForeign Soil
2014Miles AllinsonFever of Animals
2015Jane HarperThe Dry[8]
2016Melanie ChengAustralia Day[9]
2017Christian WhiteDecay Theory[10]
2019Victoria HannanKokomo[12]
2020Rhett DavidHovering[13]
2021André DaoAnam[14]
2022Keshe ChowFauna of Mirrors[15]
2023Mick CumminsOne Divine Night[16]
2024Rachel MortonPanajachel[17]

Indigenous Writing

YearAuthorTitleRef.
2004Vivienne ClevenHer Sister's Eye[19]
2006Tara June WinchSwallow the Air[19]
2008Yvette HoltAnonymous Premonition[19]
2010Larissa BehrendtLegacy[19]
2012Anita HeissAm I Black Enough For You?[20]
2014Melissa LucashenkoMullumbimby[21]
2016Tony BirchGhost River[22]
2019Kim ScottTaboo[12]
2021Archie RoachTell Me Why: The Story of My Life and My Music[14]
2022Veronica GorrieBlack and Blue: A Memoir of Racism and Resilience[15]
2023Lystra RoseThe Upwelling[16]
2024Daniel BrowningClose to the Subject: Selected Works[17]

Children's Literature

YearAuthorTitleRef.
2024Remy LaiGhost Book[17]

Defunct award categories (1985–2010)

From 1985 to 2010 prizes were offered in some or all of the below categories.

See also

Notes

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