Media Release

Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2008 – Call for Entries

Authors and publishers are now invited to submit entries to the prestigious Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2008. A total of $210,000 will be awarded to established and emerging writers across twelve categories in one of Australia's richest and most diverse writing prizes.

The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards - established 24 years ago - celebrate and recognise the best of Australian writing in all its forms.

This year for the first time a $15,000 Prize for Best Music Theatre Script will be offered. This prize rewards excellence in Australian musical theatre and reflects the strength of musical theatre in Victoria. In this inaugural year scripts performed between 1 May 2006 to 30 April 2008 may be submitted.

Biennial prizes on offer this year are the $15,000 Prize for a First Book of History and the $15,000 Prize for Indigenous Writing.

The richest prizes in the 2008 prize pool are the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction and the Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction, each offering a $30,000 prize.

Prizes offered in 2008 are:

• The Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction - $30,000
• The Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction - $30,000
• The John Curtin Prize for Journalism - $15,000
• 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 Prize for a First Book of History - $15,000 (for works created between 1 May 2006 to 30 April 2008)
• The Grollo Ruzzene Foundation Prize for Writing about Italians in Australia – $15,000
• The Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript by an Emerging Victorian Writer - $15,000 (In addition to the monetary award, the Victorian Writers’ Centre will provide 20 hours of  professional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).
• The Prize for Indigenous Writing - $15,000 (for works created between 1 May 2006 to 30 April 2008)
• The Prize for Best Music Theatre Script - $15,000 (for works created between 1 May 2006 to 30 April 2008).

With the exceptions noted, the Awards are open to all Australians with works first published or performed between 1 May 2007 and 30 April 2008.

The Awards short-list will be announced on Friday 8th August with the winners to be announced at Federation Square on Monday 1st September 2008.

The closing date for entries is Friday 2 May 2008.

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.

For additional information contact Claire Smiddy (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