NSW Premier’s Literary Awards FAQs

When are the eligibility dates for 2023?

All works must have been first published, performed, screened or broadcast and made publicly available between 1 October 2021 and 30 September 2022 inclusive, except for entries for the NSW Premier's Translation Prize.

Do you have to be a NSW-based author to nominate works for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards?

No. The awards are open to all Australian citizens and permanent residents.

Do authors have to be living?

Yes. If a nominee dies or ceases to hold permanent resident status after their work has been nominated, the judges will not consider their work for an award. If, however, the judges recommend an award to an eligible nominee and that nominee dies before the award is presented, the Government may, at its discretion, pay the prize money to the nominee’s estate.

My book is self-published, can I enter it?

Yes. Self-published books are eligible for submission.

Generally, to be eligible books must:

be first published between 1 October 2021 and 30 September 2022
have an ISBN
be published as a print book, or ebook
be available for general sale

Can I nominate the same work in several categories?

Yes. You can nominate the same book in a main genre category and/or the Multicultural NSW Award and the Indigenous Writers’ Prize as long as the work and the author meet the eligibility criteria for each category.

There is an additional discounted entry fee if multiple categories are entered.

You must indicate on the nomination form which categories you wish to enter.

Do I have to register on your website to access the nomination form?

Yes. In order to be able to securely take credit card payments the State Library requires you to access the online entry form by creating an account . To do this, click on the 'register' link. If you already have an account, you can 'login'.

If you can't complete the entry form all at one time you can partially complete your entry form, save it and come back to it at a later time by logging in.

If you have difficulty please contact the Senior Project Officer, Awards at (02) 9273 1582 or awards@sl.nsw.gov.au.

How many copies of my book do I need to send to the State Library of NSW? Can I hand-deliver my books to the State Library of NSW?

You must supply 4 copies of the nominated book for each category (6 copies if the work is entered for the Fiction or Non-Fiction categories) and for each additional category entered an additional 3 copies of the book. The nomination form will calculate the number of books you must supply based on the categories you enter. Books should be posted to:

State Library of NSW
2023 NSW Premier's Literary Awards (NAME OF CATEGORY ENTERED)
1 Shakespeare Place
SYDNEY NSW 2000

If you are entering your work electronically (for the Betty Roland Prize, the Nick Enright Prize or the Kenneth Slessor Prize) you do not need to provide multiple copies. You can either upload your file when completing the nomination form or email to awards@sl.nsw.gov.au

If you live in Sydney, you can hand-deliver books to the Visitor Information Desk at the State Library of NSW, Macquarie Street entrance between 9am and 5pm.

Please mark the package: 2023 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, <name of category entered>

You must still complete the online nomination form prior to the delivery of books.

Do you accept electronic submissions of works?

We only accept electronic submissions for works entered for the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry, the Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting and the Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting.

If you are also entering the Multicultural NSW Award and/or the Indigenous Writers’ Prize you can also submit electronic submissions for these categories.

Can I submit a children’s book that has been written by an Australian, but illustrated by an artist who is not an Australian citizen or permanent resident?

No. All authors, co-authors, co-creators and illustrators must be living Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia.

I am nominating a lot of books on behalf of a publishing house. Do I have to complete an online form for each one?

If you are a publisher nominating a number of works, you have the option to include up to 5 titles per online nomination form.

Who should be the “nominator” on my application form?

If you are nominating your own book, list yourself as the nominator and author.

The nominator can also be a publisher, agent or interested third party. Nominators must seek permission from the author before nominating their book and provide direct contact details for the author.

What are the entry fees?

The entry fee is $100 (including GST) for each nomination in each category (with the exception of the UTS Glenda Adams Award). If a work is entered into an additional category (e.g. Multicultural NSW Award or Indigenous Writers Prize), the entry fee for each additional category is $50.

Example: A work is being entered for the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, the NSW Multicultural Award and the Indigenous Writers Prize. The total entry fee would be $200 ($100 for the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, $50 for the Multicultural NSW Award category and $50 for the Indigenous Writers' Prize category).

Publishers who are members of the Small Press Network are exempt from paying entry fees.

There is a discounted early-bird entry fee of $75 per entry, for people who nominate at the start of the nomination period. PLEASE NOTE THE EARLY-BIRD ENTRY FEE HAS NOW EXPIRED.

How can I pay the entry fee?

Once you have completed the online nomination form, you can select to pay directly by credit card. If you don’t have a credit card you can pay via direct deposit. If you would like to do this please contact the State Library of NSW at awards@sl.nsw.gov.au.

How does the Concession Card fee exemption work?

A fee exemption is available, if the author (or all authors/illustrators if more than one) of the nominated work holds one of the following valid Australian concession cards:

Seniors Card or Pensioner Concession Card
Health Care Card
Tertiary student card
Veteran Card issued by the Australian Department of Veteran Affairs.

Proof of the author’s status as current card holder must be submitted either by uploading a scan of the card it as part of the online nomination form or submitting a photocopy of the eligible card inside the package when sending copies of the nominated books.

Can I get feedback on my book to help me improve as a writer?

No. Judges do not provide feedback on individual nominations.

Do I get my books back after the awards?

No. Books submitted as part of your nomination will not be returned.

The copies supplied with the nomination are distributed to the category judges for assessing the nomination, and one copy is kept by State Library of NSW for a record of the nominations and to be entered into the State Library collection.

When will the shortlisted authors and winners be notified?

Shortlists will be announced in April 2023 and the winners will be announced on 22nd May 2023 as part of the Sydney Writers' Festival.