Prime Minister's Literary Awards


The Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards were announced at the end of 2007 by the incoming First Rudd Ministry following the 2007 election. They are administered by the Minister for the Arts.
The awards were designed as "a new initiative celebrating the contribution of Australian literature to the nation's cultural and intellectual life." The awards are held annually and initially provided a tax-free prize of A$100,000 in each category, making it Australia's richest literary award in total. In 2011, the prize money was split into $80,000 for each category winner and $5,000 for up to four short-listed entries. The award was initially given in four categories – fiction, non-fiction, young adult and children's fiction – as selected by three judging panels. In 2012, a poetry category was added and the former Prime Minister's Prize for Australian History was incorporated into the award. "The awards are open to works written by Australian citizens and permanent residents. Authors, publishers and literary agents are eligible to enter works, first published in the calendar year prior to the awards."

Winners

2008 awards

2008 panels

For the inaugural 2008 awards, six Australians were appointed by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts to the judging panels: three each for the fiction and non-fiction awards.

2008 fiction panel

The final decisions on the shortlist and winners for the awards was made by Prime Minister based on the judging panels’ recommendations. The following entries, out of more than 170 received, were selected for the shortlist:

2008 fiction

2009 panels

On 15 May 2009 the panels for the 2009 awards were announced.

2009 fiction panel

The 2009 shortlist from more than 250 entries was announced on Friday 18 September 2009 in Melbourne. The winners were announced on 2 November 2009. Two works shared the non-fiction award.

2009 fiction

On 30 March 2010 two new award categories were announced: "young adults' fiction" and "children's fiction". The prize for both new awards was also $100,000; its entries were judged by one judging panel.

2010 panels

On 14 May 2010 the panels for the 2010 awards were announced.

2010 fiction panel

The 2009 fiction panel returned in 2010:
From over 330 entries, the 2010 shortlist of 29 titles was announced on 15 July 2010. The winners were announced on 8 November 2010.

2010 fiction

Entries for the 2011 awards opened in January 2011 and an annual timetable was implemented: the shortlist was announced in late May and winners in early July. The awards were restructured to provide greater recognition for shortlisted authors. In each category, the winning book was awarded $80,000; $5,000 was awarded to up to four shortlisted titles. The eligibility criteria were extended to include e-books, and wordless picture books were eligible in the children's fiction category. The panellists from 2010 were returned for 2011.

2011 shortlist and winners

From 379 entries, the 2011 shortlist of 20 titles was announced on 26 May 2011. The winners, listed below in bold type, were announced on 8 July 2011.

2011 fiction

The 2012 awards were launched in early December 2011; entries closed on 1 February 2012. A new award for poetry was announced and the Prize for Australian History was incorporated. The winners, listed below in bold type, were announced on 23 July 2012.

2012 panels

The panels for the 2012 awards consist of:

2012 fiction and poetry panel

From 509 entries, the 2012 shortlist of 25 titles was announced on 20 March 2012.

2012 fiction

The 2013 awards were launched in late 2012; entries closed on 17 January 2013.

2013 panels

The panels for the 2013 awards consist of:

2013 fiction and poetry panel

The 2013 shortlist of 29 titles was announced on 17 June 2013. The winners, listed below in bold type, were announced on 15 August 2013 at the State Library of Queensland.

2013 fiction

The 2014 awards were launched in December 2013; entries closed on 28 February 2014. The winners, listed below in bold type, were announced on 8 December 2014.

2014 panels

The panels for the 2014 awards consist of:

2014 fiction and poetry panel

The 2014 shortlist of 30 titles was announced on 19 October 2014.

2014 fiction

The 2015 awards were launched in December 2014; entries closed on 28 February 2015.

2015 panels

The panels for the 2015 awards consist of:

2015 fiction and poetry panel

The 2015 shortlist of 30 titles was announced on 23 November 2015. The winners were announced in Sydney on 14 December 2015.

2015 fiction

2016 shortlist and winners

The 2016 shortlist of 30 titles was announced on 17 October 2016. The winners were announced on 9 November 2015.

2016 fiction

2017 shortlist and winners

The 2017 shortlist of 30 titles from more than 450 entries was announced on 17 November 2017. The winners were announced on 1 December.

2017 panels

The panels for the 2017 awards consist of:

2017 fiction and poetry panel

2018 shortlist and winners

The 2018 shortlist of 30 titles from more than 500 entries was announced on 17 October 2018. The winners were announced on 5 December 2018.

2018 panels

The panels for the 2018 awards consist of:

2018 fiction and poetry panel

2019 shortlist and winners

The 2019 shortlist of 30 titles from more than 500 entries was announced on 12 September 2019. On 23 October the winners were announced at a ceremony in Canberra.

2019 fiction