Patrick White Award

The Patrick White Award is an annual literary prize established by Patrick White. White used his 1973 Nobel Prize in Literature award to establish a trust for this prize.

The $25,000 cash award is given to a writer who has been highly creative over a long period but has not necessarily received adequate recognition. White stipulated that the award be announced the Friday after the Melbourne Cup to turn attention from sport to literature. The 2010 award was reduced to $18,000 because of the economic slump, in 2012 it was $23,000. Writers are automatically eligible without the necessity for submissions.