AustLit
History
'The granddaughter of Jewish immigrants, Deborah became a prize-winning professor of International Law at the London School of Economics. After being diagnosed with cancer, Deborah left her academic career and focused on creative writing. She had a number of short fiction pieces published, but was unable to realise her aim to complete a novel. With generous support from family and friends, this prize aims to help someone outside the mainstream find a voice for themselves.'
Source: The Deborah Cass Prize homepage.
The prize was inaugurated in 2015 and last presented in 2022: Deborah Cass's brother noted that the context for Australian writing had changed since the prize's inauguration, and many more opportunities were available for diverse writers.
Source: Books + Publishing (https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2022/11/04/222853/deborah-cass-prize-shortlist-announced-2/). (Sighted: 7/11/2022)
Latest Winners / Recipients
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Year: 2022
winner International 2022 single work prose
— Appears in: Mascara Literary Review , no. 28 2022; -
Year: 2021
winner Independencia 2021 single work short story
— Appears in: Mascara Literary Review , December no. 27 2021; for 'Independencia'. -
Year: 2020
winner ‘I Am Full of Love’ 2020 single work short story
— Appears in: Mascara Literary Review , no. 26 2020-2021;Epigraph: Looking for a place to live. Looking for a job. You begin to doubt your judgment, you begin to doubt everything. You become imprecise. And that’s when you’re beginning to go under. You’ve been beaten, and it’s been deliberate. The whole society has decided to make you nothing.
– James Baldwin
You wanted to fight for a cause
Then go out and love someone-Gang Of Youths
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Year: 2019
winner Wall of Men 2019 single work short story
— Appears in: Sweatshop Women : Volume One 2019; (p. 53-64) Mascara Literary Review , August no. 25 2020; -
Year: 2018
winner Things I Used to Believe 2019 single work prose
— Appears in: Mascara Literary Review , March no. 23 2019;
Works About this Award
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We Can Fight Hate and Racism by Telling the Stories of Migrants 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 12 December 2016;