The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also called the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first given in 1979. These awards are some of the most valuable literary prizes in Australia. Some important awards include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry, and the Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction.

As of 2019, the Awards are organized by the NSW Government and managed by the State Library of New South Wales with help from Create NSW. Multicultural NSW and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) also support the Awards. In 2019, the total prize money was up to A$305,000. Only writers, translators, and illustrators who are Australian citizens or have permanent residency can enter.

History

The NSW Premier's Literary Awards were created in 1979 by the New South Wales Premier, Neville Wran. He explained that the goal was to help the arts have an important role in society. He said, "If governments respect and understand writers and artists, the community will be more likely to do the same." These awards were the first of their kind in Australia.

The awards were not given out in 1998 because the rules about who could enter were changed.

Judging

The winners of most prizes and awards are chosen by a judging panel. Create NSW (formerly Arts NSW) and the New South Wales Government do not provide input in this process. The names of the judges are not made public until the winners are officially decided. In the past, this process has caused controversy. For example, in 2010, the judging panel decided not to give the Play Award to any applicants.

In November 2011, the New South Wales Government announced a review of the Premier's Literary Awards for 2012. An independent panel, led by journalist Gerard Henderson, examined both the Literary Awards and the Premier's History Awards. The panel focused on how the awards were managed, the standards used to select winners, and the judging process. After the review, the Awards are now managed by the State Library of New South Wales, in partnership with Create NSW.

Categories

The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards offer several prizes and awards.

The Christina Stead Prize is given for a work of fiction, such as a novel or a collection of stories. The winner receives A$40,000 as of 2021. It honors Christina Stead, an Australian novelist and short-story writer. The first winner was David Malouf for his novella An Imaginary Life in 1979. In 2019, Michelle de Kretser won for The Life to Come and tied Peter Carey’s record of three wins.

The Douglas Stewart Prize is given for a non-fiction prose work. The winner receives A$40,000 as of 2021. It honors Douglas Stewart, a noted Australian literary editor. Manning Clark won the first prize for the fourth volume of A History of Australia in 1979. Drusilla Modjeska has won the prize more than any other individual. In 2019, Billy Griffiths and Sarah Krasnostein were joint winners.

The Kenneth Slessor Prize is given for a book of poetry, whether collected poems or a single long poem. It was first awarded in 1980. The winner receives A$30,000 as of 2021. It honors Kenneth Slessor, a noted Australian poet and journalist. David Campbell was the first winner, who received the prize posthumously. In 2011, Jennifer Maiden became the only person to win the award three times.

The Ethel Turner Prize is given for work of fiction, non-fiction, or poetry written for young people in secondary school. The winner receives A$30,000 as of 2021. It honors Ethel Turner, the author of Seven Little Australians.

The Children's Literature section of the Premier's Literary Awards began as a single award in 1979. It was changed in 1999 to create two prizes: the Patricia Wrightson Prize (for primary school audiences) and the Ethel Turner Prize (for secondary school audiences). The Ethel Turner Prize was also given to all previous winners in the Children's Literature section. Patricia Wrightson and Jenny Wagner were the first joint winners in 1979. Ursula Dubosarsky and Jaclyn Moriarty have each won the Ethel Turner Prize three times.

The Patricia Wrightson Prize is given for work of fiction, non-fiction, or poetry written for children up to secondary school level. The winner receives A$30,000 as of 2021. It honors Patricia Wrightson, who won the first Ethel Turner Prize in 1979. Odo Hirsch was the first winner for his book Antonio S and the Mystery of Theodore Guzman. Leanne Hall, author of Iris and the Tiger, is the most recent winner. Kierin Meehan is the only author to win the prize more than once.

This award was first created in 1980 as the Ethnic Affairs Commission Award. It was later called the Community Relations Commission Award and, from 2012, the Community Relations Commission for Multicultural NSW Award. From 2014, it was called the Multicultural NSW Award. The prize money is worth A$20,000 as of 2021. It is given for works that include aspects of the Australian migration experience or cultural diversity.

The UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing was established in 2005. It is given for a published book of fiction by an author who has not previously written a book-length fiction work. The winner receives A$5,000 as of 2021. It was renamed in 2008 to honor Glenda Adams, an Australian novelist and short-story writer who died in 2007.

The Play Award, created in 1983, is given to a play or musical produced in Australia. The winner is chosen based on the written text alone and receives A$30,000 as of 2021. The first winners were Nicholas Enright and Terence Clarke for the musical Variations. Daniel Keene and Stephen Sewell have each won the award three times.

In 2010, judges decided not to shortlist any plays and instead gave a A$30,000 grant to new playwrights. This decision was criticized by many experienced playwrights. Gil Appleton, the head judge, suggested future judges should see performances rather than judge based only on scripts.

In 1984, the Film Writing Award and Television Writing Award were created, followed by the Radio Writing Award in 1988. These were combined in 1990 into the Script Writing Award. It is given for scripts of films, radio programs, or television programs. The winner receives A$30,000 as of 2021. The first winners were the film scripts for Sweetie and An Angel at My Table. Jane Campion and Rolf de Heer have each won the award twice.

The Prize for Literary Scholarship was awarded every two years to a book, CD-ROM, or DVD that offers a new perspective on published works. The winner received A$30,000. It was discontinued in 2010 and has not been given since.

This award was created in 2009 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Premier's Literary Awards. It is based on votes from New South Wales residents for works shortlisted for the Christina Stead Prize. The first winner was Steve Toltz for his novel A Fraction of the Whole.

The New South Wales Book of the Year is chosen from the winners of that year’s awards. The winner receives an extra A$10,000 as of 2021.

The Special Award can be given by judges for a work that does not fit into other prizes or to recognize a writer’s achievements. The winner receives A$10,000 as of 2021.

The Translation Prize is awarded every two years to Australian translators who translate