Guidelines
Closing date: 5pm Friday 13 October 2017
The NSW Government is committed to increasing public engagement with the arts. The NSW Premier’s Literary 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 and Helen Garner.
Total prize money in 2018, including sponsored awards, is up to $305,000. Entrants must be living Australian citizens or persons holding permanent resident status. The NSW Premier’s Literary Awards are presented by the NSW Government and administered by the State Library in association with Create NSW. We are pleased to acknowledge the support of Multicultural NSW and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
Nominations are sought for the following awards:
- Christina Stead Prize for Fiction
- UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing
- Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-fiction
- Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry
- Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature
- Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature
- Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting
- Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting
- Multicultural NSW Award
- Indigenous Writer’s Prize (biennial)
Other awards which may be given include: The Special Award, Book of the Year and The People’s Choice Award. Nominations are not accepted for these awards.
Entering the awards
Entries must be received by the State Library of NSW no later than 5 pm on Friday 13 October 2017.
Entries should be submitted online. Hard copies of entry forms will not be accepted.
All works must have been first published, performed, screened or broadcast and made publicly available between 1 October 2016 and 30 September 2017.
(Note: The eligibility period for the Indigenous Writer’s Prize is between 1 October 2015 and 30 September 2017.)
