Media Release

Premier's Literary Awards - Call for Entries

Entries are now invited for the prestigious Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. A total of $195,000 will be awarded to winners in 11 categories, including emerging and established writers, for the best in Australian fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays, screenplays, drama, history, journalism and indigenous writing.

In their 22nd year, the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards celebrate and recognise writing in all its forms with prizes including the $15,000 Village Roadshow Prize for screen writing, the $15,000 Alfred Deakin Prize for an Essay Advancing Public Debate, the $30,000 Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction (Australia’s richest annual prize for non-fiction), and the $15,000 John Curtin Prize, Australia’s richest prize for journalism.

Prizes offered in 2006 are:

• The Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction - $30,000
• The Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction - $30,000
  (Australia’s richest prize for non-fiction)
• The John Curtin Prize for Journalism - $15,000
  (Australia’s richest prize for journalism)
• The Prize for Young Adult Fiction - $15,000
• The C J Dennis Prize for Poetry - $15,000
• The Louis Esson Prize for Drama - $15,000
• The Alfred Deakin Prize for an Essay Advancing Public Debate - $15,000
• The Village Roadshow Prize for Screen Writing - $15,000
• The Prize for a First Book of History - $15,000
   (Publication eligibility period 1 May 2004 to 30 April 2006)
• The Prize for Indigenous Writing - $15,000
   (Publication eligibility period 1 May 2004 to 30 April 2006)
• The Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript by an Emerging Victorian Writer - $15,000
  In addition to the monetary award, the Victorian Writers’ Centre will provide 20 hours of professional assistance in a form to be negotiated with the winning author. The author must be a resident of Victoria.

With the exceptions noted, the Awards are open to all Australians with works first published or performed between 1 May 2005 and 30 April 2006.

The Awards shortlist will be announced on Friday 11 August, with the winner to be announced at a dinner at Zinc, Federation Square on Monday 4 September.

The closing date for entries is Friday 12 May.

The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards are administered by the State Library of Victoria. Entry forms and guidelines are available on the State Library of Victoria website at: www.slv.vic.gov.au/pla.

For additional information contact Barry Scott on (03) 8664 7277 or email pla@slv.vic.gov.au

Media inquiries:
Matthew van Hasselt
Media relations coordinator
State Library of Victoria
Ph: 03 8664 7263
Email: mvanhasselt@slv.vic.gov.au