The Australian Vogel Literary Award was a literary prize in Australia for books that had not been published before, given to writers who were younger than 35 years old. The prize included AUD $20,000, which was the largest amount of money and the most respected award for an unpublished book in Australia. Allen & Unwin promised to publish the winning book.

History

The award was started in 1979 by Niels Stevns. It was a partnership between The Australian newspaper, the publisher Allen & Unwin, and Stevns & Company Pty Ltd. Stevns, who started the company that made Vogel bread, named the award after Swiss naturopath Alfred Vogel.

The Vogel award was not given in 1985, 2013, and 2019.

The last award was presented in June 2024.

The AustralianFiction Prize

The Vogel Prize was changed to The Australian Fiction Prize by The Australian newspaper and publisher HarperCollins. The new prize is for an unpublished book that is not science fiction, young adult, poetry, plays, or for children. The book must be between 75,000 and 100,000 words. The prize includes $20,000 and a $15,000 advance from HarperCollins, who will publish the winning book. There is no age limit for the person entering, but they must be an Australian resident. Submissions for the prize’s first year began on May 6, 2024, and ended on August 2, 2024. The judges are Caroline Overington, literary editor of The Australian; Samuel Bernard, a book critic and literary agent; and Letitia Davy, a bookseller from Gleebooks.