The Pascall Prize: Australian 'Critic of the Year' is an annual Australian award for critical writing and review, awarded to a critic whose work over the previous 12 to 18 months has contributed significantly to public appreciation, enjoyment and understanding of the area or areas of the arts in which he or she is involved. It was established in 1988 in memory of Geraldine Pascall, an Australian journalist who died of a stroke at the age of 38. From 1988 to 2014 the recipient of the Pascall Prize was selected by a Judging Panel of industry peers appointed by Directors of the Geraldine Pascall Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation established specifically to award the prize. The Pascall Prize and the Geraldine Pascall Foundation were managed by the Music & Opera Singers Trust Limited. In 2015, the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to film critic, journalist and speechwriter Evan Willams AM on 23 May 2015 at an event held at the Sydney Writers' Festival. In May 2017 it was announced that the Walkley Foundation planned to takeover administration of the Pascall Prize for Arts Criticism and rename it the Walkley-Pascall Award for Arts Criticism. The first Walkely-Pascall Award was made to Kate Hennessy of The Guardian.
History
The Pascall Prize was conceived as a biennial literary award for creative writers who had made original and distinctive contributions to Australia's cultural life. In 1990, to better reflect the work and personal interests of the late Geraldine Pascall, it was decided that the Prize should be awarded annually to a critic or reviewer who contributed regularly in Australia to a newspaper, periodical, or on radio or television. This has now been extended to include the internet. It was also agreed that the Pascall Prize would be awarded to a critic working in the areas of literature, art, food and or wine, music, musical theatre, dance and or drama, film, television or radio. Only sport was specifically excluded.
Awards and prizes
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a critic whose body of work exemplifies the values of the Geraldine Pascall Foundation and the Pascall Prize.The inaugural award was presented in 2015. The Pascall Prize is the only major national prize awarded for critical writing/reviewing in Australia. The Pascall Prize is awarded to an Australian critic whose work over the previous 12 to 18 months has contributed significantly to public debate, appreciation, enjoyment and understanding of an area of the arts. The recipient of the Pascall Prize is named Australian 'Critic of the Year' and awarded $15,000. The Pascall Prize seeks to identify and reward an Australian critic whose work:
