Victorian Premier's Literary Award
Encyclopedia
The Victorian Premier's
Literary Awards were created by the Victorian
Government
with the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's
publishing industry.
They were established in 1985 by John Cain
, the Premier of Victoria at that time, to mark the centenary of the births of Vance and Nettie Palmer
, two of Australia's best-known writers and critics who both made significant contributions to Victorian and Australian literary culture.
From 1986 through till 1997 they were presented as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival
.
In 1997 the administration of the awards was transferred to the State Library of Victoria . By 2004 the award's total prize money was 180,000.
Premiers of the Australian states
The Premiers of the Australian states are the de facto heads of the executive governments in the six states of the Commonwealth of Australia. They perform the same function at the state level as the Prime Minister of Australia performs at the national level. The territory equivalents to the...
Literary Awards were created by the Victorian
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
Government
with the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
publishing industry.
They were established in 1985 by John Cain
John Cain II
John Cain , Australian Labor Party politician, was the 41st Premier of Victoria, holding office from 1982 to 1990.-Biography:...
, the Premier of Victoria at that time, to mark the centenary of the births of Vance and Nettie Palmer
Vance and Nettie Palmer
Vance and Nettie Palmer were two of Australia's best-known literary figures from the 1920s to the 1950s. Edward Vivian "Vance" Palmer was a novelist, dramatist, essayist and critic. Janet Gertrude "Nettie" Palmer was a poet, essayist and Australia's leading literary critic...
, two of Australia's best-known writers and critics who both made significant contributions to Victorian and Australian literary culture.
From 1986 through till 1997 they were presented as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival
Melbourne Writers Festival
The Melbourne Writers Festival is an annual literary festival held in the Australian city of Melbourne.- History :The festival was founded in 1986 as a joint initiative between the Melbourne International Festival of the Arts and the City of Melbourne...
.
In 1997 the administration of the awards was transferred to the State Library of Victoria . By 2004 the award's total prize money was 180,000.
Awards Categories
- Vance Palmer Prize for FictionVance Palmer Prize for FictionThe Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction is a component of the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award and is valued at A$30,000. Most Australian state premiers present annual Australian literary awards to promote Australian writing in all its forms. The award is named after Vance Palmer...
- Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction
- Prize for Young Adult Fiction
- Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript by an Emerging Victorian Writer
- C. J. Dennis Prize for PoetryC. J. Dennis Prize for PoetryThe C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry is awarded annually as part of the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, for a significant selection of new work by a poet published in a book. It is named after the early twentieth century vernacular poet C. J...
- Louis Esson Prize for Drama
- Alfred Deakin Prize for an Essay Advancing Public Debate
- Prize for Science Writing (biennial)
- Village Roadshow Prize for Screen Writing
- Grollo Ruzzene Foundation Prize for Writing about Italians in Australia
- John Curtin Prize for Journalism
- Prize for Best Music Theatre Script
- Prize for Indigenous Writing (Biennial)
- Prize for a First Book of History (Biennial)
- Dinny O'Hearn Prize for Literary Translation. (Triennial)