New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards

History

The NSW Premier's Literary Awards were established in 1979 by the New South Wales Premier Neville Wran. Commenting on its purpose, Wran said: "We want the arts to take, and be seen to take, their proper place in our social priorities. If governments treat writers and artists with respect and understanding, the community will be more likely to do the same." They were the first set of premier's awards offered in Australia.

The awards were not presented in 1998.

Judging

The winners of most of the prizes and awards are decided by a judging panel, with no input from Arts NSW or the NSW Government. The names of each year's judges are not announced until the final winners are decided. The judging has been the subject of controversy in the past, when in 2010, the panel decided not to bestow the Play Award on any of the applicants.

In November 2011, the NSW Government announced a review of the Premier's Literary Awards for 2012. An independent panel, chaired by journalist Gerard Henderson, reviewed both the Literary and the Premier's History Awards, focussed on the governance, selection criteria and judging processes. Following the review, the Awards are managed by the State Library of NSW, in association with Arts NSW.

Categories

The following prizes and awards are currently given in the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.

Christina Stead Prize for Fiction

The Christina Stead Prize is awarded for a work of fiction that may be either a novel or a collection of stories. The recipient currently receives a A$40,000 prize. It is named in honor of Christina Stead, an Australian novelist and short-story writer. The first recipient was David Malouf, who was awarded the Prize for his novella An Imaginary Life in 1979. The most recent recipient was Kim Scott, who won the Prize for That Deadman Dance. Novelist Peter Carey, with three wins, has won the Prize more than any other author.

Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction

The Douglas Stewart Prize is awarded for a prose work that is not fiction. The recipient currently receives a A$40,000 prize. It is named in honor of Douglas Stewart, a noted Australian literary editor. The first recipient was Manning Clark, who was awarded the Prize for the fourth volume in his series A History of Australia in 1979. The most recent recipient was Mark McKenna, for An Eye for Eternity: The Life of Manning Clark. Drusilla Modjeska, with three wins, has won the Prize more than any other individual.

Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry

The Kenneth Slessor Prize is awarded for a book of poetry, whether collected poems or a single poem of some length, and was first awarded in 1980. The recipient currently receives a A$30,000 prize. It is named in honor of Kenneth Slessor, a noted Australian poet and journalist. The first recipient was David Campbell, who won the Prize posthumously. In 2011, NSW poet Jennifer Maiden became the only individual to win the award three times. The latest recipient was Gig Ryan in 2012.

Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature

The Ethel Turner Prize is awarded for work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry written for young people of secondary school level. The recipient currently receives a A$30,000 prize. It is named in honor of Ethel Turner, author of the children's classic, Seven Little Australians.

The Children's Literature section of the Premier's Literary Awards began as a single award in 1979, but was redefined in 1999 to create the Patricia Wrightson Prize (for writing for a primary school audience) and the Ethel Turner Prize (for a secondary school audience). The Ethel Turner Award was also given to all previous winners in the Children's Literature section. The Prize was first won, jointly, by Patricia Wrightson and Jenny Wagner in 1979. The most recent recipient was writer and part-time teacher Cath Crowley, for the young adult novel, Graffiti Moon. Australian author Ursula Dubosarsky is the most awarded recipient of the Prize, having won it three times.

Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature

The Patricia Wrightson Prize is awarded for work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry written for children up to secondary school level. The recipient currently receives a A$30,000 prize.

The Children's Literature section of the Premier's Literary Awards began as a single award in 1979, but was redefined in 1999 to create the Patricia Wrightson Prize (for writing for a primary school audience) and the Ethel Turner Prize (for a secondary school audience). The Patricia Wrightson Prize was created in honour of children's author Patricia Wrightson, who won the first Ethel Turner Prize in 1979. The first recipient was Odo Hirsch, for his debut children's book, Antonio S and the Mystery of Theodore Guzman. The most recent recipient was Aaron Blabey, author of The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon. No individual has won the Prize more than once.

Community Relations Commission Award

The Community Relations Commission Award was first established in 1980, when it was known as the Ethnic Affairs Commission Award. It is awarded for works that have made a significant contribution in their portrayal of Australian immigration and the migrant settlement experience. The Award can be given to the writer of a book, play, musical or script and the winner currently receives a A$15,000 prize from the Community Relations Commission. The first recipient was Stephanie Lindsay Thompson, for her work Australia Through Italian Eyes, which was a study of settlers returning from Australia to Italy. The most recent recipient (2013) was Tim Soutphommasane for his book, Don't Go Back to Where You Came From. No individual has won the Award more than once.

UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing

The UTS Glenda Adams Award (originally the UTS Award for New Writing) is given for a published book of fiction by an author who has not previously published a work of fiction that is booklength. It was established in 2005, and the winner currently receives a A$5,000 prize from the University of Technology, Sydney. The first recipient was Denise Young, and the most recent recipient was Rohan Wilson for his novel, The Roving Party. No individual has won the Award more than once. The award renamed in 2008 to honour Glenda Adams, the late Australian novelist.

Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting

The Play Award, established in 1983, is given to a play or musical which has been produced in Australia. The winner is chosen based purely on the merit of the written text, and they currently receive a A$30,000 prize. The award was first given to playwright Nicholas Enright and composer Terence Clarke for the musical Variations. Writers Daniel Keene and Stephen Sewell have each won the Award three times.

In 2010, the judges decided not to shortlist any plays for the Award, instead bestowing a $30,000 grant for new playwrights. Their decision was widely criticised by many of Australia's most experienced playwrights. Gil Appleton, head of the judging panel, called for all future judges to see a performance of the play rather than judging the work on the script alone.

Betty Rowland Prize for Script Writing

In 1984, the Film Writing Award and the Television Writing Award were established, followed by the Radio Writing Award in 1988. In 1990, these three awards were amalgamated into the Script Writing Award. It is given for the script of a film, radio program or television program, which may be fiction or a documentary. The winner is chosen based purely on the merit of the written text, and they currently receive a A$30,000 prize. The award was first given jointly to the film scripts for Sweetie and An Angel at My Table. The most recent recipient was Debra Oswald for the screenplay of Offspring, a television pilot shot for Network Ten. Directors Jane Campion and Rolf de Heer have each won the Award twice.

NSW Premier's Prize for Literary Scholarship

Awarded biennially, the Prize for Literary Scholarship is made to a book, CD-ROM or DVD which presents an original perspective on one or more published works. The winner currently receives a A$30,000 prize. It will next be awarded in 2012.

People's Choice Award

This award was established in 2009 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the awards. The Award is based on votes by New South Wales residents from the works shortlisted for the Christina Stead Prize for fiction. The award was first won by Steve Toltz for his novel, A Fraction of the Whole.

Book of the Year

The winner of the New South Wales Book of the Year is chosen from among the winners of that year's awards, and they currently receive an extra A$10,000.

Special Award

The Special Award can be proposed by the judges for a work that doesn't easily fit into the existing prizes, or as a general recognition of a writer's achievements. The Award winner usually receives A$20,000.

NSW Premier's Translation Prize

Awarded biennially, the Translation Prize is offered to Australian translators who translate works into English from other languages. The winner currently receives a A$30,000 prize. It will next be awarded in 2017.

Gleebooks Prize for Critical Writing

The Gleebooks Prize was established in 1995 and was offered for Australian critical writing. The winner received a A$10,000 prize. It was last awarded in 2009 to David Love and its current status is unknown.