The Calibre Essay Prize is an annual ''
Australian Book Review'' essay-writing award. The prize, first awarded in 2007, is worth AU$7,500 and is deemed 'the nation's premier essay-writing competition' and 'Australia’s leading award for an original essay'.
The prize is 'intended to generate brilliant new essays and to foster new insights into culture, society, and the human condition' and welcomes entries from published authors and commentators, as well as from emerging writers. All non-fiction subjects are eligible for submission.
History
The Prize was established in 2007. It is presented annually by the ''ABR'' and 'awards the most outstanding original essay contributed by a leading Australian author or commentator'. The Prize was previously co-funded by the Australian Copyright Agency. It is currently supported by Colin Golvan QC.
Previous winners
* 2007
Elisabeth Holdsworth'An die Nachgenborenen: For Those Who Come After'
* 2008 – Rachel Robertson
Rachel Robertson (born 20 July 1976) is a New Zealand field hockey player who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII ...
'Reaching One Thousand'
and Mark Tredinnick
Mark Tredinnick (born 1962) is an Australian poet, essayist and teacher. Winner of the Montreal International Poetry Prize in 2011 and the Cardiff International Poetry Competition in 2012. He is the author of thirteen books, including four vo ...
'A Storm and a Teacup'
* 2009 – Kevin Brophy (author)
‘“What’re yer looking at yer fuckin’ dog”: Violence and Fear in Žižek’s Post-political Neighbourhood’
and Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best kn ...
'Footprints'
* 2010
Lorna Hallahan'On being Odd'
and David Hansen
'Seeing Truganini'
* 2011
Dean Biron'The Death of the Writer'
an
Moira McKinnon'Who Killed Matilda?'
* 2012
Matt Rubinstein'Body and Soul: Copyright and Law Enforcement in the Age of the Electronic Book'
* 2013
Martin Thomas'"Because it's your country": Bringing Back the Bones to West Arnhem Land'
* 2014 – Christine Piper
Christine Piper is an Australian author and editor. Her first novel, ''After Darkness'', won the 2014 The Australian/Vogel Literary Award and was shortlisted for the 2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award. She won the 2014 Calibre Prize for an Outsta ...
'Unearthing the past'
* 2015 – Sophie Cunningham (writer), Sophie Cunningham
: 'Staying with the trouble'
* 2016 – Michael Winkler: "The Great Red Whale"
* 2017 – Michael Adams: "Salt Blood"
* 2018 – Lucas Grainger-Brown: "We Three Hundred"
* 2019 – Grace Karskens: "Nah Doongh's Song"
* 2020 – Yves Rees: "Reading the Mess Backwards"
*2021 – Theodore Ell: "Façades of Lebanon"
*2022 – Simon Tedeschi: "This Woman My Grandmother"
References
{{Reflist
Australian literary awards
Essay awards