The State Library of NSW has announced the winners of the $350,000 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, with Debra Dank’s debut We Come With This Place taking out a record four of the 14 prizes.
“Our Government is pleased to celebrate our most talented writers and I’m thrilled that this year’s awards in particular highlight the incredible achievements of Gudanji/Wakaja woman, author Dr Debra Dank,” said NSW Premier, The Hon. Chris Minns MP.
“On behalf of the NSW Government, I congratulate all winners and shortlisted authors of the 2023 Awards whose works inspire, educate and delight readers and writers alike,” said Mr Minns.
Winners of the 2023 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards are:
- Book of the Year ($10,000)
We Come With This Place by Debra Dank (Echo Publishing) - Christina Stead Prize for Fiction ($40,000)
Women I Know by Katerina Gibson (Scribner an imprint of Simon & Schuster Australia) - Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-fiction ($40,000)
We Come With This Place by Debra Dank (Echo Publishing) - Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry ($30,000)
The Singer and Other Poems by Kim Cheng Boey (Cordite Books) - Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature ($30,000)
The First Scientists: Deadly Inventions and Innovations from Australia’s First Peoples by Corey Tutt and Blak Douglas (Hardie Grant Explore) - Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature ($30,000)
The Upwelling by Lystra Rose (Hachette Australia) - Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting ($30,000)
Whitefella Yella Tree by Dylan Van Den Berg (Griffin Theatre Company/ Currency Press) - Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting ($30,000)
Blaze by Del Kathryn Barton and Huna Amweero (Causeway Films) - Indigenous Writers’ Prize ($30,000)
We Come With This Place by Debra Dank (Echo Publishing) - Multicultural NSW Award ($30,000)
The Eulogy by Jackie Bailey (Hardie Grant Books) - NSW Premier’s Translation Prize ($30,000 – biennial award)
People from Bloomington by Budi Darma, translated by Tiffany Tsao (Penguin Classics) - UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing ($5,000 – sponsored by UTS)
We Come With This Place by Debra Dank (Echo Publishing) - University of Sydney People’s Choice Award ($5000 – sponsored by University of Sydney)
Every Version of You by Grace Chan (Affirm Press) - Special Award ($10,000)
Bankstown Poetry Slam
“We’re delighted that our new Government is continuing the long-standing tradition of support for our writers and those who read their work. The best way for us all to judge the strength of this year’s writing is to buy the shortlist and get reading,” said State Librarian, John Vallance.
“This year’s awards celebrate the courage, diversity and sheer brilliance of contemporary Australian writing,” said According to Senior Judge, Jane McCredie. “Our judges assessed a record 856 entries exploring a huge range of styles and subject matter.”
“It’s exciting to see so many debut works recognised this year, and we look forward to hearing more from these writers in the future.”
The NSW Premier’s Literary Awards are administered by the State Library of NSW in association with Create NSW. The State Library acknowledges the sponsorship of Multicultural NSW, the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Sydney.
Past winners have included such notable writers as Peter Carey, David Malouf AO, Elizabeth Jolley, Thomas Keneally AO, Tony Birch, Helen Garner, Ellen Van Neerven and Michelle de Kretzer.
For more information about the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, visit: www.sl.nsw.gov.au for details.
Image: We Come With This Place by Debra Dank – photo courtesy of Echo Publishing