The Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry is awarded annually as part of the

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, th ...

for a book of collected poems or for a single poem of substantial length published in book form.New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Web page
accessed 5 November 2006 It is named after

Kenneth Slessor Kenneth Adolphe Slessor (27 March 190130 June 1971) was an Australian poet, journalist and official war correspondent in World War II. He was one of Australia's leading poets, notable particularly for the absorption of modernist influences int ...

(1901–1971). The prize currently comes with a A$30,000 cash award.

Winners and shortlists

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

* Eunice Andrada – ''TAKE CARE'' *

Evelyn Araluen Evelyn Araluen is an Australian poet and literary editor. She won the 2022 Stella Prize with her first book, ''Dropbear''. Career Araluen is a descendent of the Bundjalung people and was born on Dharug land. Her poetry has been published i ...

– ''Dropbear'' *

Eileen Chong Eileen Chong (born 1980) is an Australian contemporary poet. Early life and education Chong was born in 1980, in Singapore of Hakka, Hokkien, and Peranakan descent. She grew up speaking English, Mandarin and Hokkien. Chong studied English ...

– ''A Thousand Crimson Blooms'' *

Dan Disney Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...

– ''accelerations & inertias'' * John Kinsella – ''Supervivid Depastoralism'' *

Bella Li Bella Li (born 1983) is a Chinese-born Australian poet. Early life and career Li was born in China in 1983. When she was three she and parents migrated to Australia. Li has an Arts/Law degree from the University of Melbourne. In 2020 she rec ...

– ''Theory of Colours''

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

* Winner:

Ellen van Neerven Ellen van Neerven (born 1990) is an Aboriginal Australian author, educator and editor. They are queer and non-binary. Their first work of fiction, ''Heat and Light'' (2013), won several awards, and in 2019 Van Neerven won the Queensland Premier ...

– ''Throat'' *

Jordie Albiston Jordie Albiston (30 September 1961 – 28 February 2022) was an Australian poet. Early life Jordie Albiston grew up in Melbourne, the second of four children. She studied music at the Victorian College of the Arts before completing a doct ...

– ''Element: The Atomic Weight & Radius of Love '' * Rebecca Jessen – ''Ask Me About the Future'' *

Jill Jones Jill Jones (born July 11, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress, who performed as a backing vocalist for Teena Marie and Prince in the 1980s. Overview Jones was born in Lebanon, Ohio on July 11, 1962. Her mother, a fashion model, ...

– ''A History of What I’ll Become'' * Jaya Savige – ''Change Machine ''

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

* Winner:

Peter Boyle Peter Lawrence Boyle (October 18, 1935 – December 12, 2006) was an American actor. Known as a character actor, he played Frank Barone on the CBS sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' and the comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof ''Young Fra ...

– ''Enfolded in the Wings of a Great Darkness'' *

Joanne Burns Joanne Burns (born 5 December 1945 ) is a contemporary Australian poet and prose writer, with a strong emphasis on performance in her work. Biography Joanne Burns grew up and lives in Sydney. She studied at the University of Sydney and has ...

– ''apparently'' * Zenobia Frost – ''After the Demolition'' *

Lisa Gorton Lisa Gorton (born 1972) is an Australian poet, novelist, literary editor and essayist. She is the author of three award-winning poetry collections: ''Press Release'', ''Hotel Hyperion'' '','' and ''Empirical''. Her novel ''The Life of Houses,'' ...

– ''Empirical'' * Natalie Harkin – ''Archival-Poetics'' *

David Malouf David George Joseph Malouf AO (; born 20 March 1934) is an Australian poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright and librettist. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2008, Malouf has lectured at both the University of Quee ...

– ''An Open Book''

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

* Winner:

Judith Bishop Judith Bishop (born 1972) is a contemporary Australian poet, linguist and translator. Biography Judith Bishop was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1972. She holds an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, an Master of Fine Arts, MFA in Writing f ...

– ''Interval'' * Michael Farrell – ''I Love Poetry'' * Penelope Layland – ''Things I’ve Thought To Tell You Since I Saw You Last'' *

Philip Neilsen Philip Max Neilsen is an Australian poet, fiction writer and editor. He teaches poetry at the University of Queensland and was previously professor of creative writing at the Queensland University of Technology. Biography Neilsen was born in Br ...

– ''Wildlife of Berlin'' * Mark Reid – ''Blindside'' *

Chris Wallace-Crabbe Christopher Keith Wallace-Crabbe (born 6 May 1934) is an Australian poet and emeritus professor in the Australian Centre, University of Melbourne. Life and career Wallace-Crabbe was born in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond. His father was Ken ...

– ''Rondo''

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

* Winner:

– ''Argosy'' * Adam Aitken – ''Archipelago'' *

– ''Euclid's dog: 100 algorithmic poems'' * Rico Craig – ''Bone Ink'' * Nguyễn Tiên Hoàng – ''Captive and Temporal'' * Omar Sakr – ''These Wild Houses''

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

* Winner:

– ''Ghostspeaking'' *

Paul Hetherington Paul Hetherington (born 6 March 1958) is an Australian poet and academic, who also worked for 19 years at the National Library of Australia. He is Professor of Writing at the University of Canberra where he heads the university's Internationa ...

– ''Burnt Umber'' *

– ''Breaking the Days'' * Antigone Kefala – ''Fragments'' * John Kinsella – ''Firebreaks: Poems'' *

– ''Comfort Foot''

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

* Winner:

– ''brush'' *

Lionel Fogarty Lionel Fogarty (born 1958), also published as Lionel Lacey, is an Indigenous Australian poet and political activist. Early life Fogarty was born in 1958 on an Aboriginal reserve at Barambah (now called Cherbourg) in Queensland, where he grew up. ...

– ''Eelahroo (Long Ago), Nyah (Looking), Möbö-Möbö (Future)'' *

Sarah Holland-Batt Sarah Holland-Batt is a contemporary Australian poet, critic, and academic. Early life and education Born in Southport, Queensland, Sarah Holland-Batt grew up in Australia and Denver, Colorado. She was educated at the University of Queensland ...

– ''The Hazards'' * Meredith Wattison – ''terra bravura'' * Chloe Wilson – ''Not Fox Nor Axe'' * Ouyang Yu – ''Fainting''

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

* Winner:

– ''Earth Hour'' * Michael Aiken – ''A Vicious Example'' *

Judith Beveridge Judith Beveridge (born 1956) is a contemporary Australian poet, editor and academic. She is a recipient of the Christopher Brennan Award. Biography Judith Beveridge was born in London, England, arriving in Australia with her parents in 1960. She ...

– ''Devadatta's Poems'' *

Anne Elvey Anne Frances Elvey is an Australian academic, editor, researcher and poet. Education Elvey has completed at Bachelor of Science with Honours, a Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary), a Bachelor of Theology, a Master of Theology and a ...

– ''Kin'' * Libby Hart – ''Wild'' *

John Mateer John Mateer (born 1971) is a South African-born Australian poet and author. Early life and education He was born in Roodepoort, South Africa in 1971, and grew up on the outskirts of Johannesburg. He spent some of his childhood in Canada, before ...

– ''Unbelievers, or The Moor''

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

*Winner: Fiona Hile – ''Novelties,'' Hunter *

Justin Clemens Justin Clemens (born 22 April 1969) is an Australian academic known for his work on Alain Badiou, psychoanalysis, European philosophy, and contemporary Australian art and literature. He is also a published poet. Background Clemens studied at the ...

– ''The Mundiad,'' Hunter * Diane Fahey – ''The Stone Garden: poems from Clare,'' Clouds of Magellan * Liam Ferney – ''Boom,'' Grand Parade Poets *

Kate Middleton Catherine, Princess of Wales, (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; 9 January 1982) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne, making Catherine the likely next ...

– ''Ephemeral Waters,'' Giramondo Publishing * Jessica Wilkinson – ''Marionette: A biography of Miss Marion Davies,'' Vagabond Press

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

*Winner: Ali Cobby-Eckermann – ''Ruby Moonlight,'' Magabala Books *

Kate Fagan Kate Fagan (born November 15, 1981) is an American sports reporter and commentator who previously was employed by ESPN. Before joining the ESPN staff, she worked as the ''Philadelphia Inquirer's'' beat writer for the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. ...

– ''First Light,'' Giramondo Publishing * Michael Farrell – ''Open Sesame,'' Giramondo Publishing * Anthony Lawrence – ''The Welfare of my Enemy,'' Puncher & Wattman *

Kate Lilley Kate Lilley (born 1960) is a contemporary Australian poet and academic. Early life Kate Lilley was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1960 and moved to Sydney with her family. She is the daughter of writers Dorothy Hewett and Merv Lilley, an ...

– ''Ladylike,'' UWA Publishing * Vivian Smith – ''Here, There and Elsewhere,'' Giramondo Publishing

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

*Winner:

Gig Ryan Gig Ryan, born Elizabeth Anne Martina Ryan November 5, 1956, is an Australian poet. She is a recipient of the Christopher Brennan Award. Biography Ryan was born in Leicester, England in 1956. Her father is the Australian surgeon Peter John R ...

– ''New and Selected Poems,'' Giramondo Publishing *

Ken Bolton Ken Bolton (born 1949) is an Australian poet. He was born in Sydney and studied fine arts at the University of Sydney, where he also tutored. In the late 70s he edited the poetry magazine ''Magic Sam'' and began the small press Sea Cruise Books ...

– ''Sly Mongoose,'' Puncher and Wattman *

Susan Hawthorne Susan Hawthorne (born 30 November 1951) is an Australian writer, poet, political commentator and publisher. Together with Renate Klein, she is co-founder and director of Spinifex Press, a leading independent feminist publisher that celebrated i ...

– ''Cow,'' Spinifex Press *

– ''Southern Barbarians,'' Giramondo Publishing *

Claire Potter Claire Bond Potter is an American historian. She is a professor of history at The New School. She is co-executive editor of the journal '' Public Seminar''. Potter received a BA from Yale University, where she studied English literature and worke ...

– ''Swallow,'' Five Islands Press * Tracy Ryan – ''The Argument,'' Fremantle Press

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

*Winner:

Jennifer Maiden Jennifer Maiden (born 1949) is an Australian poet. She was born in Penrith, New South Wales, and has had 36 books published: 28 poetry collections, 6 novels and 2 nonfiction works. Her current publishers are Quemar Press in Australia and Blooda ...

– ''Pirate Rain,'' Giramondo Publishing * Susan Bradley Smith – ''Supermodernprayerbook,'' Salt Publishing * Andy Jackson – ''Among The Regulars,'' Papertiger Media Inc *

– ''Dark Bright Doors,'' Wakefield Press Pty * Anna Kerdijk Nicholson – ''Possession,'' Five Island Press *

Andy Kissane Andy Kissane, born 13 September 1959, is a Melbourne-born, Sydney-based writer. He has written a number of poetry collections as well as short stories, novels and non-fiction. Personal life Kissane was born in Melbourne, but moved to Sydney ...

– ''Out to Lunch,'' Puncher and Wattmann

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

*Winner:

– ''The Sonnet According to "M"'' *

Emily Ballou Emily Ballou is an Australian-American poet, novelist and screenwriter. Her poetry collection ''The Darwin Poems'', a verse portrait of Charles Darwin, was published by University of Western Australia Press in 2009.

– ''The Darwin Poems'' *

– ''Storm and Honey'' * Emma Jones – ''The Striped World'' * Morgan Yasbincek – ''White Camel''

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

*Winner: LK Holt – ''Man Wolf Man,'' John Leonard Press. * Michael Brennan – ''Unanimous Night,'' Salt Publishing * David Brooks – ''The Balcony,'' University of Queensland Press *

– ''Aria,'' University of Queensland Press * Kerry Leves – ''A Shrine To Lata Mangeshkar,'' Puncher & Wattman *

Alan Wearne Alan Wearne (born 23 July 1948) is an Australian poet. Early life and education Alan Wearne was born on 23 July 1948 and grew up in Melbourne. He studied history at Monash University, where he met the poets Laurie Duggan and John A. Scott. H ...

– ''The Australian Popular Songbook,'' Giramondo

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

*Winner: Kathryn Lomer – ''Two Kinds of Silence'' *

– ''an illustrated history of dairies'' *

Brook Emery A Stream#Types, brook is a small river or natural stream of fresh water. It may also refer to: Computing *Brook, a programming language for GPU programming based on C *Brook+, an explicit data-parallel C compiler *BrookGPU, a framework for GPGP ...

– ''Uncommon Light'' * Peter Kirkpatrick – ''Westering'' *

– ''Typewriter Music'' * Phyllis Perlstone – ''The Edge of Everything''

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

*Winner: John Tranter – ''Urban Myths,'' University of Queensland Press * Robert Adamson – ''The Goldfinches of Baghdad,'' Flood Editions *

Laurie Duggan Laurence James Duggan (born 1949), known as Laurie Duggan, is an Australian poet, editor, and translator. Life Laurie Duggan was born in Melbourne and attended Monash University, where his friends included the poets Alan Wearne and John A. Sc ...

– ''The Passenger,'' University of Queensland Press * Les Murray – ''The Biplane Houses,'' Black Inc. *

Simon West Simon Alexander West (born 1961) is an English film director and producer. He has primarily worked in the action genre, most notably as the director of the films ''Con Air'', '' Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'', '' The Mechanic'', and ''The Expendab ...

– ''First Names,'' Puncher and Wattmann *

Fay Zwicky Fay Zwicky (4 July 1933 – 2 July 2017) was an Australian poet, short story writer, critic and academic primarily known for her autobiographical poem ''Kaddish'', which deals with her identity as a Jewish writer. Life Born Julia Fay Rosefield ...

– ''Picnic,'' Giramondo Publishing Company

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

*Winner:

Jaya Savige Jaya Savige is an Australian poet. Biography Born in Sydney (1978), Savige grew up in Queensland, on Bribie Island and in Brisbane, boarding at St Joseph's College, Nudgee. He attended the University of Queensland, where, after withdrawing ...

– ''Latecomers,'' University of Queensland Press. *

Aidan Coleman Aidan Coleman (born 17 August 1988) is an Irish National Hunt jockey, who has ridden multiple Grade 1 winners in the United Kingdom including at the Cheltenham Festival. Career Coleman was born in Cork, Ireland and moved to England in 2006 wor ...

– ''Avenues & Runways,'' Brandl & Schlesinger * Susan Hampton – ''The Kindly Ones,'' Five Islands Press *

– ''Broken/Open,'' Salt Publishing * Penelope Layland – ''Suburban Anatomy,'' Pandanus Books *

David McCooey David McCooey (born 1967 in London), poet, critic, musician, and academic. He is Personal Chair in Literary Studies and Professional & Creative Writing at Deakin University in Geelong. Early life and education David McCooey was born in London i ...

– ''Blister Pack,'' Salt Publishing

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

* Winner:

Samuel Wagan Watson Samuel Wagan Watson is a contemporary Indigenous Australian poet. Early life Samuel Wagan Watson was born in Brisbane and is of Mununjali clan, Munanjali and Germanic descent. His father is the novelist and political activist, Sam Watson (act ...

– ''Smoke Encrypted Whispers,'' University of Queensland Press * M. T. C. Cronin – ''< More or Less Than> 1–100,'' Shearsman Books Ltd * Lidija Cvetkovic – ''War is Not the Season for Figs,'' University of Queensland Press * John Kinsella – ''Doppler Effect,'' Salt Publishing * Dipti Saravanamuttu – ''The Colosseum,'' Five Islands Press *

– ''The Lovemakers Book Two: Money and Nothing,'' ABC Books

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

* Winner:

Pam Brown Pamela Jane Barclay Brown (born 1948) is an Australian poet. Career Pam Brown was born in Seymour, Victoria. Most of her childhood was spent on military bases in Toowoomba and Brisbane. Since her early twenties, she has lived in Melbourne a ...

– ''Dear Deliria: New & Selected Poems,'' Salt Publishing *

– ''The Fall,'' White Crane Press * M. T. C. Cronin – ''beautiful, unfinished'' Salt Publishing *

– ''Misplaced Heart,'' Five Islands Press * Philip Hammial – ''In the Year of Our Lord Slaughter's Children,'' Island Press * John Tranter – ''Studio Moon,'' Salt Publishing

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

* Winner:

– ''Screens Jets Heaven'' *

Alison Croggon Alison Croggon (born 1962) is a contemporary Australian poet, playwright, fantasy novelist, and librettist. Life and career Born in the Transvaal, South Africa, Alison Croggon's family moved to England before settling in Australia, first in Bal ...

– ''Attempts at Being'' *

– ''Versary'' * Emma Lew – ''Anything the Landlord Touches'' * Sarah Day – ''New and Selected Poems'' * Robert Gray – ''Afterimages''

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

* Winner:

– ''The Lovemakers,'' Penguin Books Australia * Robert Adamson – ''Mulberry Leaves: New & Selected Poems: 1970–2001,'' Paper Bark Press * Martin Harrison – ''Summer,'' Paper Bark Press *

Dorothy Hewett Dorothy Coade Hewett (21 May 1923 – 25 August 2002) was an Australian playwright, poet and author, and a romantic feminist icon. In writing and in her life, Hewett was an experimenter. As her circumstances and beliefs changed, she progressed ...

– ''Halfway Up the Mountain,'' Fremantle Arts Centre Press *

Bronwyn Lea Bronwyn Lea is a contemporary Australian poet, academic and editor. Biography Born in Tasmania, Lea grew up in Queensland and Papua New Guinea, moving to San Diego to study at California State University. She completed a PhD titled "The way ...

– ''Flight Animals,'' University of Queensland Press *

– ''Heroic Money,'' Brandl & Schlesinger * John Tranter – ''Ultra,'' Brandl & Schlesinger

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

* Winner: Ken Taylor – ''Africa,'' Five Islands Press *

Jennifer Compton Jennifer Compton (born 1949) is a New Zealand-born Australian poet and playwright. Biography She was born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1949 and attended Wellington East Girls' College. In the 1970s she emigrated to Sydney, Australia with her ...

– ''Blue,'' Ginninderra Press *

– ''and dug my fingers in the sand,'' Five Islands Press * Philip Hammial – ''Bread,'' Black Pepper *

J. S. Harry J. S. Harry or Jan Harry (4 January 1939 – 20 May 2015) was an Australian poet described as "one of Australian poetry’s keenest satirists, political and social commentators, and perhaps its most ethical agent and antagonist." J. S. Harry was ...

– ''Sun Shadow, Moon Shadow,'' Vagabond Press * Wendy Jenkins – ''Rogue Equations,'' Fremantle Arts Centre Press

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

* Winner:

– ''Mines,'' Paper Bark Press/Australian Humanities Research Foundation *

Richard James Allen Richard James Allen (born 1960) is a contemporary Australian poet, dancer, actor and filmmaker. The former artistic director of the Poets Union Inc, and founding director of the Australian Poetry Festival, Allen was co-artistic director with Kar ...

– ''Thursday's Fictions,'' Five Islands Press * M. T. C. Cronin – ''Everything Holy,'' Balcones International Press *

Jennifer Harrison Jennifer Harrison (born 1955) is a contemporary Australian poet. She is a recipient of the Christopher Brennan Award. Born in Liverpool, Sydney, Harrison studied medicine and then specialised in psychiatry. Since her first volume of poetry, ''Mi ...

– ''Dear B,'' Black Pepper *

Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums. After winning se ...

– ''Wicked Heat,'' Paper Bark Press * John Millett – ''Iceman,'' Five Islands Press

1999 and before

Award winners:New South Wales Ministry of Culture Web site
official list of past winners *

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

Lee Cataldi Lee Cataldi (born 1942) is a contemporary Australian poet and linguist. Biography Cataldi was born in Sydney during World War II when, owing to her Italian heritage, she was technically an 'enemy alien'. As a child she lived in Hobart, moving b ...

– ''Race Against Time'', Penguin Books Australia *

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

: ''no awards were presented'' *

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

: Anthony Lawrence – ''The Viewfinder'', University of Queensland Press *

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

: Eric Beach – ''Weeping for Lost Babylon,'' HarperCollins and

– ''Selected Poems,'' Penguin Books Australia *

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

– ''Coming Home From the World,'' Five Islands Press *

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

: Barry Hill – ''Ghosting William Buckley,'' William Heinemann Australia *

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

: Les Murray – ''Translations from the Natural World,'' Isabella Press *

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

Elizabeth Riddell Elizabeth Riddell (21 March 1910 – 3 July 1998) was an Australian poet and journalist. Life Born in Napier, New Zealand, Elizabeth Richmond Riddell came to Australia in 1928 where she worked at ''Smith's Weekly'' and won a Walkley Award. She ...

– ''Selected Poems,'' Collins Angus & Robertson *

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

– ''The Winter Baby,'' Collins Angus & Robertson *

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

: Robert Adamson – ''The Clean Dark,'' Paper Bark Press *

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

: John Tranter – ''Under Berlin,'' University of Queensland Press *

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

– ''The Domesticity of Giraffes,'' Black Lightning Press *

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

Philip Hodgins Philip Ian Hodgins (28 January 1959 – 18 August 1995) was an Australian poet, whose work appeared in such major publications as ''The New Yorker''. The Philip Hodgins Memorial Medal for Literary Excellence is awarded annually at the Mildu ...

– ''Blood and Bone,'' Angus & Robertson *

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

: Robert Gray – ''Selected Poems 1963–83,'' Angus & Robertson *

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

– ''Your Shadow,'' Angus & Robertson *

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

: Les Murray – ''The People's Other World,'' Angus & Robertson *

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

: Vivian Smith – ''Tide Country,'' Angus & Robertson *

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

– ''Kaddish and Other Poems,'' University of Queensland Press *

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

Alan Gould Alan Gould (born 22 March 1949) is a contemporary Australian novelist, essayist and poet. Life and career Gould was born in London to an English father and an Icelandic mother. His family lived in Northern Ireland, Germany and Singapore before ...

– ''Astral Sea,'' Angus & Robertson *

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

: David Campbell – ''Man in the Honeysuckle,'' Angus & Robertson

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenneth Slessor Australian poetry awards Awards established in 1979 Lists of award winners Kenneth Slessor

Winners and shortlists

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

1999 and before

See also

Notes