A list of Australian literary awards and prizes:

Literature

ABC Fiction Award The ABC Fiction Award was an Australian literary award presented annually to the best, original, unpublished, adult fiction manuscript, written by an Australian resident over the age of 18. It was launched in 2005. The aim of the award was "to encou ...

(2005–2009) * ACT Book of the Year *

ACT Writing and Publishing Awards The ACT Writing and Publishing Awards are an Australian literary award presented by the ACT Writers Centre for the best books in the categories of non-fiction, fiction, poetry and children's literature written in the Canberra region. They have bee ...

* Ada Cambridge Prize *

The Age Book of the Year ''The Age'' Book of the Year Awards were annual literary awards presented by Melbourne's ''The Age'' newspaper. The awards were first presented in 1974. After 1998, they were presented as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival. Initially, two awar ...

– discontinued after 2012; reinstituted in 2021 *

Asher Award The Asher Award was a biennial Australian literary award administered by the Australian Society of Authors between 2005 and 2017. It was established by the Australia Council after a bequest from the late author Helen Asher. It was disestablished ...

– 2005–2017 *

Australian Book Industry Awards The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) are publishers' and literary awards held by the Australian Publishers Association annually in Sydney "to celebrate the achievements of authors and publishers in bringing Australian books to readers". ...

Australian Literature Society Gold Medal The Australian Literature Society Gold Medal (ALS Gold Medal) is awarded annually by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature for "an outstanding literary work in the preceding calendar year." From 1928 to 1974 it was awarded by the ...

The Australian/Vogel Literary Award ''The Australian''/Vogel Literary Award is an Australian literary award for unpublished manuscripts by writers under the age of 35. The prize money, currently A$20,000, is the richest and most prestigious award for an unpublished manuscript in ...

Banjo Awards The National Book Council Banjo Awards were presented by the National Book Council of Australia from 1974 to 1997 for works of fiction and non-fiction. The name commemorates the bush poet Andrew Barton Banjo Paterson. The Council has enjoyed not ...

– 1974–1997 *

Barbara Jefferis Award The Barbara Jefferis Award is an Australian literary award prize. The award was created in 2007 after being endowed by John Hinde upon his death to commemorate his late wife, author Barbara Jefferis. It is funded by his $1 million bequest. Origi ...

* Chief Minister's NT Book Awards, originally Territory Read, from 2009 *

Colin Roderick Award The Colin Roderick Award is presented annually by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies at Queensland's James Cook University for "the best book published in Australia which deals with any aspect of Australian life". It was first presente ...

* David Unaipon Award * Deborah Cass Prize for Writing, established 2015 for writers from a migrant background *

Fogarty Literary Award The Fogarty Literary Award is an Australian award that was established in December 2018 by Fremantle Press Fremantle Press (formerly known as Fremantle Arts Centre Press) is an independent publisher in Western Australia. Fremantle Press was es ...

Melbourne Prize for Literature The Melbourne Prize for Literature is an award given by the ''Melbourne Prize Trust'', which was founded by Simon Warrender in 2005. The trust grants awards on a rolling three-year basis for Urban Sculpture, Literature and Music, in that order. The ...

* Miles Franklin Award *

MUD Literary Prize The MUD Literary Prize is an Australian literary award awarded annually at Adelaide Writers' Week since 2018 to a debut literary novel. It is sponsored by a philanthropic organisation, the MUD Literary Club, which was founded in 2012. The org ...

(since 2018) * The Nib Waverley Library Award for Literature
Currently the Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award
*

Ned Kelly Awards The Ned Kelly Awards (named for bushranger Ned Kelly) are Australia's leading literary awards for crime writing in both the crime fiction and true crime genres. They were established in 1996 by the Crime Writers Association of Australia to rewar ...

New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, t ...

Nita Kibble Literary Award The Kibble Literary Awards comprise two awards—the Nita B Kibble Literary Award, which recognises the work of an established Australian female writer, and the Dobbie Literary Award, which is for a first published work by a female writer. The Awar ...

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 o ...

Prime Minister's Literary Awards The Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards (PMLA) 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.Queensland Literary Awards The Queensland Literary Awards is an awards program established in 2012 by the Queensland literary community, funded by sponsors and administered by the State Library of Queensland. Like the former Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, the QLA ...

(2012–) * Queensland Premier's Literary Awards (1999–2011) * S. H. Prior Memorial Prize (1934–1946) *

South Australian Premier's Awards The Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature comprise a group of biennially-granted literary awards established in 1986 by the Government of South Australia, announced during Adelaide Writers' Week, as part of the Adelaide Festival. The awards i ...

* Stella Prize *

The Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelists ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' Best Young Australian Novelists award was created in 1997 by the newspaper's literary editor, Susan Wyndham and is made annually. The awards recognise emerging writing talent, and are made to writers who are aged 35 ...

award * T. A. G. Hungerford Award *

Tasmanian Premier's Literary Prizes The Tasmanian Premier's Literary Prizes are literary prizes that are awarded biennially in four categories by the Tasmanian Government. There are two panels of three judges: one for the book prizes, the other for the emerging writers and young wr ...

TDK Australian Audio Book Awards The TDK Australian Audio Book Awards were established by the National Library of Australia in 1988 and sponsored by TDK is a Japanese multinational electronics corporation that manufactures electronic components and recording and data-storage ...

(1989–1999) *

Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction The Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction, formerly known as the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction, is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award. As of 2011 it has an remuneration of 25,000. The winner of this category prize vi ...

Victorian Premier's Literary Awards The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry. As of 2013, it is reportedly Australia's richest literary p ...

, including: **

Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing The Victorian Premier's Prize for Indigenous Writing is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of cont ...

* Western Australian Premier’s Australia-Asia Literary Award *

Western Australian Premier's Book Awards The Western Australian Premier's Book Awards is an annual book award provided by the Government of Western Australia, and managed by the State Library of Western Australia. History and format Annual literary awards were inaugurated by the Wes ...

* Woollahra Digital Literary Award as noted in the list of electronic literature authors, critics, and works *

Viva la Novella Viva may refer to: Companies and organisations * Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator * Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia * Viva Air Dominicana * VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company * V ...

Voss Literary Prize The Voss Literary Prize is an annual award named in honour of historian Vivian Robert de Vaux Voss (1930–1963). It is awarded to the best novel published in the previous year and is managed and judged by the Australian University Heads of Engli ...

Short stories

The Age Short Story Award ''The Age'' Short Story Award is a competition that is run in conjunction with International PEN, the international writers' association. It was established in 1979. From 1979 to 1984 it was run in conjunction with ''Tabloid Story'' and was know ...

Aurealis Award The Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award. History The Aurealis Award was established in 1995 by ...

s ** Best Fantasy Short Story ** Best Horror Short Story ** Best Science Fiction Short Story ** Best Young-Adult Short Story * Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize

Poetry

* ACU Prize for Poetry *

Anne Elder Award The Anne Elder Trust Fund Award for poetry was administered by the Victorian branch of the Fellowship of Australian Writers from its establishment in 1976 until 2017. From 2018 the award has been administered by Australian Poetry. It is awarded ann ...

* Bruce Dawe National Poetry Prize * The Blake Poetry Prize *

Christopher Brennan Award The Christopher Brennan Award (formerly known as the Robert Frost Prize) is an Australian award given for lifetime achievement in poetry. The award, established in 1973, takes the form of a bronze plaque which is presented to a poet who produces w ...

C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry The Victorian Premier's Prize for Poetry, formerly known as the C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry, is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award. As of 2011 it has an enumeration of 25,000. The winner of this category prize vies w ...

Grace Leven Prize for Poetry The Grace Leven Prize for Poetry was an annual poetry award in Australia, given in the name of Grace Leven who died in 1922. It was established by William Baylebridge who "made a provision for an annual poetry prize in memory of 'my benefactres ...

* Griffith University Josephine Ulrick Poetry Prize * Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize * Helen Anne Bell Poetry Bequest Award *

Ipswich Poetry Feast The Ipswich Poetry Feast is an annual literary event held in Australia since 2003. Sponsored by the Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about ...

Judith Wright Calanthe Award The Arts Queensland Judith Wright Calanthe Award is awarded annually as part of the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards for a book of collected poems or for a single poem of substantial length published in book form. Winners 2020 * Winner: Pi ...

* Judith Wright Prize * Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry * Mary Gilmore Award *

Newcastle Poetry Prize The Newcastle Poetry Prize is an annual Australian award for poetry. It was established in 1981 as the Mattara Poetry Prize. The Prize began from humble beginnings in September 1980, when Peter Goldman stood in the middle of Civic Park during the ...

* Noel Rowe Poetry Award *

Peter Porter Poetry Prize The Peter Porter Poetry Prize is an ongoing international literary award run by the Australian Book Review for outstanding poetry. Established by the ''ABR'' in 2005, the Prize is named after the late Australian poet Peter Porter. The Porter Pri ...

* Philip Hodgins Memorial Medal *

Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry The Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry is awarded for a book of verse published by someone in any of the Commonwealth realms. Originally the award was open only to British subjects living in the United Kingdom, but in 1985 the scope was extended to in ...

The Roland Robinson Literary Award The Roland Robinson Literary Award was created in memory of the Australian poet, Roland Robinson, who died in 1992. It was awarded from 1993 to 2008. The prize was run by the City of Lake Macquarie and was awarded to both poetry and short storie ...

Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize The Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize, named in honour of a distinguished Queensland poet, is a literary award for an unpublished poetry manuscript by a Queensland-based author. The prize was established in 2003 and currently comes with prize money of $2 ...

Val Vallis Award The Val Vallis Award is an Australian poetry award named in honour of the Queensland poet Val Vallis (1916–2009). Val Vallis was a lyric poet who lectured in English and Philosophy at the University of Queensland. In 2002 the then Arts Minister, ...

The Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize The Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize is a biennial award that is offered alternately to enable an Australian poet to visit Ireland and to facilitate the visit of an Irish poet to Melbourne. It provides the recipient with a return airfare, a contribution ...

Plays

* Patrick White Playwrights' Award (2000–) *

Philip Parsons Young Playwrights Award The NSW Philip Parsons Fellowship for Emerging Playwrights, formerly the Philip Parsons Young Playwrights Award, is an Australian annual award for early-career playwrights in New South Wales, offered by Belvoir St Theatre and Arts NSW from 199 ...

(1995–2012), renamed NSW Philip Parsons Fellowship for Emerging Playwrights (2013–2018) * Queensland Premier's Drama Award (2002-2013?)

Youth literature

Inky Awards The Inky Awards recognise high-quality young adult literature, with the longlist and shortlist selected by young adults, and the winners voted for online by the teen readers of the Inside a Dog website. There are two awards: the Gold Inky Award fo ...

Children's books

;Defunct awards *

Australian Multicultural Children's Literature Awards Multiculturalism in Australia is today reflected by the multicultural composition of its people, its immigration policies, its prohibition on discrimination, equality before the law of all persons, as well as various cultural policies which pr ...

, awarded by the

Office of Multicultural Affairs Multiculturalism in Australia is today reflected by the multicultural composition of its people, its immigration policies, its prohibition on discrimination, equality before the law of all persons, as well as various cultural policies which pro ...

from 1991 to 1995, and endorsed by the Children's Book Council of Australia. ;Ongoing awards * Children's Book Council of Australia awards **Australian Children's Choice Awards *** Books I Love Best Yearly (BILBY Awards) — CBCA Queensland Branch *** Canberra's Own Outstanding List (COOL Awards) — CBCA ACT Branch **Children's Book of the Year Awards ***

Early Childhood Early childhood is a stage in human development following infancy and preceding middle childhood. It generally includes toddlerhood and some time afterward. Play age is an unspecific designation approximately within the scope of early childhood. ...

*** Younger Readers *** Older Readers *** Picture Book of the Year *** New Illustrator (2019– *** Eve Pownall Award for Information Books ** Crichton Award for Children's Book Illustration (1988–2018) ** Dame Annabelle Rankin Award **

Leila St John Award The Leila St John Award is an annual award presented in the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards by the Victorian branch. The award was first made in 1999. The CBCA Victoria Branch established the award in recognition of the Leila St John ...

Nan Chauncy Award The Nan Chauncy Award is an Australian children's literature award. It was initially established as a quinquennial award and is now presented biennially in the Children's Book Council Awards. The award was established to honour Nan Chauncy, who ...

* Children's Peace Literature Award *

Dromkeen Medal The Dromkeen Medal is a literary prize awarded annually by the Courtney Oldmeadow Children's Literature Foundation for those who have advanced children's literature in Australia. The Medal was established by bookseller, Joyce Oldmeadow in 1982, ...

* Environment Award for Children's Literature, awarded by the Wilderness Society * Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards

History

Australian History Awards Ernest Scott Prize The pre-eminent prize for "original published research that contributes to the history of Australia or New Zealand or to the history of colonisation in these countries." Awarded since 1943, the prize is named in honor of Ernes ...

Chief Minister's Northern Territory Book History Awards The Chief Minister's Northern Territory History Book Award is the premier prize for written works pertaining to the history of the Northern Territory of Australia. Establishment The award began in 2004. It was created to recognise "the scholarly ...

* Ernest Scott Prize *

New South Wales Premier's History Awards The NSW Premier's History Awards honour distinguished achievement in the interpretation of history, through both the written word and non-print media by Australian citizens and permanent residents of Australia. History The State Government of New ...

(1997–) *

Prime Minister's Prize for Australian History The Prime Minister's Prize for Australian History was created by the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard following the Australian History Summit held in Canberra on 17 August 2006. The Summit looked at how the Australian government could stre ...

(2007–) *

Victorian Community History Awards The Victorian Community History Awards are held annually to recognise the contributions made by Victorians in the preservation of the State's history, and to recognise excellence in historical research. The effect of the VCHA over the period from ...

(1998–)

Science fiction, horror, and other speculative fiction

Australian Shadows Award The Australian Shadows Awards are annual literary awards established by the Australian Horror Writers Association (AHWA) in 2005 to honour the best published works of horror fiction written or edited by an Australian/New Zealand/Oceania residen ...

Chandler Award The Chandler Award is presented by the Australian Science Fiction Foundation for "Outstanding Achievement in Australian Science Fiction". It is named in recognition of the contribution that science fiction writer A. Bertram Chandler made to Aus ...

Ditmar Award The Ditmar Award (formally the Australian SF ("Ditmar") Award; formerly the "Australian Science Fiction Achievement Award") has been awarded annually since 1969 at the Australian National Science Fiction Convention (the "Natcon") to recognise a ...

Crime writing

Davitt Award The Davitt Awards are literary awards which are presented annually by the Sisters in Crime Australia association. The awards are named in honour of Ellen Davitt (1812–1879) who wrote Australia's first mystery novel, ''Force and Fraud'' in 186 ...

* CWA Duncan Laurie Dagger Awards *

Non-fiction

* Educational Publishing Awards Australiahttp://edpubawards.com/ *

The Bragg UNSW Press Prize for Science Writing The Bragg UNSW Press Prize for Science Writing was established in 2012 to recognise excellence in Australian science writing. The annual prize of A$7,000 is awarded to the best short non-fiction piece of science fiction with the aim of a general au ...

Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship The Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship was set up in 2011 in memory of Hazel Rowley by her sister, Della Rowley and friends, in association with Writers Victoria Inc. The Fellowship was originally valued at AU$10,000, but was increased to AU$15,0 ...

* The Iremonger Award (2004–2008) *

National Biography Award The National Biography Award, established in Australia in 1996, is awarded for the best published work of biographical or autobiographical writing by an Australian. It aims "to encourage the highest standards of writing biography and autobiography ...

(1996–) *

Peter Blazey Fellowship The Peter Blazey Fellowship in an Australian literary award, in honour of the life and work of Peter Bradford Blazey (1939-1997). Establishment of Fellowship The Fellowship was established by Clive Blazey and Tim Herbert, respectively, brother an ...

Walkley Book Award The Walkley Book Award is an Australian award presented annually by the Walkley Foundation for excellence in long-form journalism and nonfiction, with subjects ranging from biography to true crime to investigative journalism and reporting. Winne ...

Whitley Awards (Australia) The Whitley Awards have been awarded annually since 1979 by the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales (RZSNSW). They commemorate Gilbert Whitley, an eminent Australian ichthyologist, and are presented for outstanding publications, either ...

Other

* Barbara Ramsden Award (Fiction or Nonfiction) * Nib Literary Award (Fiction or Nonfiction) * Russell Prize (Humour)

Notes

{{reflist Awards Australian literary