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Prime Minister's Literary Awards (2008-)
Subcategory of Awards Australian Awards
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History

'The Prime Minister's Literary Awards celebrate outstanding literary talent in Australia and the valuable contribution Australian literature and history makes to the nation's cultural and intellectual life.' (https://www.arts.gov.au/pm-literary-awards)

Notes

  • 'The Prime Minister's Literary Awards celebrate the contribution of Australian literature to the nation's cultural and intellectual life. The awards recognise literature's importance to our national identity, community and economy.'

    The awards were established with two categories: Fiction and Non-Fiction. In 2010, two new prizes were added to recognise literature for younger reading audiences - Children's Fiction and Young Adult's Fiction.

    Further changes were made to the awards in 2011. The overall prize money for each category remained at $100,000, but instead of the full amount being given to the winner, $80,000 was presented to the author of the winning book while a maximum of four shortlisted authors each received $5,000. From 2011, an annual timetable for the awards was established. Shortlists are announced in May and the winners revealed in July.

    Source: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website, http://www.arts.gov.au/
    Sighted: 14/04/2008, 18/01/2011

Latest Winners / Recipients (also see subcategories)v1823

Works About this Award

The Revamped Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Reward ‘Fresh Ways of Seeing’ in 2023 Alexander Howard , 2023 single work column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 16 November 2023;

'Jessica Au’s precise, poetic novella, Cold Enough for Snow (Giramondo), an elegant meditation on its unnamed narrator’s trip to Japan with her ageing mother, continues its sweep of major literary awards.' 

A Cause for Hope or an Unwitting Complicity? The Representation of Cultural Diversity in Award-Listed Children's Picturebooks in Australia Helen Adam , Yvonne Urquhart , 2023 single work criticism
— Appears in: Bookbird , vol. 61 no. 2 2023; (p. 48-58)

'While books can play important roles in helping children develop a positive sense of identity and of their place as equal members of society, evidence shows how the lack of diverse literature contributes to feelings of inferiority and invisibility for children from underrepresented groups as well as to a sense of superiority and normality for children from majority groups. This study reports on the representation of racial diversity in award-listed Australian children's picturesbooks in 2019 and 2020. A critical theoretical framework was employed to analyze both texts and images of ninety award-listed books. While the outcomes suggest increasing attention to diverse representation in children's literature, authentic and equitable representation falls short. Particular concerns were found regarding portrayals of First Nations people through outdated stereotypes or misinformation.' (Publication abstract)

In the Write Direction Caroline Overington , 2022 single work column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 17 December 2022; (p. 18)
Nicolas Rothwell Wins the Prime Minister's Literary Award for His Novel Red Heaven Hannah Story , 2022 single work column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , December 2022;

'Far North Queensland-based author and former foreign correspondent Nicolas Rothwell has won the $80,000 Prime Minister's Literary Award for fiction for his third novel, Red Heaven, in a ceremony in Launceston on Tuesday afternoon that was disrupted midway through by a fire alarm.' 

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