NSW Premier’s Literary Awards
The NSW Premier’s Literary Awards are the richest and longest running state-based literary awards in Australia and cover all genres of writing.
2024
Announcing the winners
The winners of the 2024 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards have been announced with She is the Earth by Ali Cobby Eckermann taking out Book of the Year. The outstanding winning works were selected by 32 judges across 12 prize categories from 834 entries.
NSW Minister for Arts John Graham said: “For 45 years now the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards — the longest-running state-funded Awards in the country — have celebrated the extraordinary achievements of both established and emerging writers in Australia. On behalf of the NSW Government, I congratulate this year’s winners and nominees. Their exceptional work captivates and entertains readers far and wide.”
State Librarian Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon said: “The very best literary works can have the power to deeply touch and resonate with readers throughout their lives. These prestigious Awards, supported by our Government, showcase the finest offerings of the year and I encourage people to seek them out in their local library or book shop.”
Senior Judge, Dr Bernadette Brennan said: “The judges for this year’s awards were unanimous in their praise for and excitement about the breadth, depth and brilliance of contemporary Australian writing. They were thrilled by the ambition of these works, the preparedness, across all categories, of the writers to take risks and to challenge and reimagine established ideas of genre, voice, subject matter and style. These winners offer just a glimpse of the diversity and range of Australian voices telling the stories we all need to hear.”
Make sure to purchase your copies of the prize-winning books at the Library Shop or via your local library or bookstore.
Discover the winners and read the judges’ comments in full below.
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.
Watch the Awards ceremony
Watch the announcement of the winners of the 2024 NSW Premier's Literary Awards.
Award categories
Christina Stead Prize for Fiction
The Christina Stead Prize ($40,000) is offered for a book of fiction.
Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction
The Douglas Stewart Prize ($40,000) is for a prose work other than a work of fiction.
Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry
The Kenneth Slessor Prize ($30,000) is offered to a poet for a book of collected poems or for a single poem of substantial length published in book form.
Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature
The Patricia Wrightson Prize ($30,000) is offered for a work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry written for children up to secondary school level.
Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature
The Ethel Turner Prize ($30,000) is offered for a work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry written for young people of secondary school level.
Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting
The Nick Enright Prize ($30,000) is offered for a play or a work of music drama.
Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting
The Betty Roland Prize ($30,000) is offered for the screenplay or script of broadcast programs or films.
Indigenous Writers' Prize
The Indigenous Writers' Prize ($30,000) acknowledges the contribution made to Australian literary culture by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers.
Multicultural NSW Award
The Multicultural NSW Award ($30,000) is offered for a work that considers aspects of cultural diversity and multiculturalism in Australian society.
UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing
The winner of the UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing ($10,000) is chosen from debut entries submitted for all the award categories.
The University of Sydney People’s Choice Award
The University of Sydney People’s Choice Award ($5,000) is voted for from the shortlists for the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction and the Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-fiction.
Book of the Year
The 'Book of the Year' is selected from among the winners of the each of the awards.
NSW Premier’s Translation Prize
The NSW Premier’s Translation Prize ($30,000) acknowledges the contribution made to literary culture by Australian translators.
Special Award
In exceptional circumstances, a Special Award ($10,000) is offered to an Australian literary work that is not readily covered by the existing Awards categories.
- 2024 Senior Judge
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Dr Bernadette Brennan
Bernadette Brennan is a critic and researcher of contemporary Australian writing. She is the author of a number of publications, including a monograph on Brian Castro and two edited collections: Just Words?: Australian Authors Writing for Justice (UQP), and Ethical Investigations: Essays on Australian Literature and Poetics (Vagabond). In 2017 she published her award-winning literary biography A Writing Life: Helen Garner and Her Work (Text). Her most recent book, Leaping Into Waterfalls: The Enigmatic Gillian Mears (A&U), was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Douglas Stewart award and won the Magarey Medal for Biography and the National Biography Award.
About the Awards
The NSW Premier’s Literary Awards are held annually. They are the richest and longest running state-based literary awards in Australia and cover all genres of writing.
The Awards provide an opportunity to highlight the importance of literacy and to encourage everyone to enjoy and learn from the work of our writers. These annual awards honour distinguished achievement by Australian writers, contribute to Australia’s artistic reputation, and draw international attention to some of our best writers and to the cultural environment that nurtures them.
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.
Writers, translators and illustrators whose works are nominated must be living Australian citizens or persons holding permanent resident status.
Past events
2023 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards winner announcement
Announcement of the 2023 NSW Premier's Literary Awards winners.
Award Information
The 2024 winners were announced at a ceremony at the State Library of NSW on Monday 20 May 2024.
The total prize money in 2024 is $315,000.
For more information, please contact the Awards team.
Phone: (02) 9273 1767, or alternatively (02) 9273 1770.