Congratulations to Amanda Hickie, author of An Ordinary Epidemic, published by South Australian publisher, MidnightSun Publishing who was longlisted for the Kibble Awards.
Fifteen Australian female authors lauded for “improving and advancing literature for the benefit of our community” form the 2016 longlist for the prestigious Nita B Kibble Literary Awards (the Kibble Awards).
Perpetual, as trustee of the awards, today announced the longlists for the 2016 Kibble and Dobbie Awards, recognising established and first-published authors respectively, with seven authors selected for each award for their moving insights into Australian life.
The Awards have been bestowed upon some of Australia’s leading writers, with this year’s winners set to receive a share of $35,000 in prize-money. Previous Kibble winners include Helen Garner, Kristina Olsson and last year’s winner, Joan London, who won the prize for her contemporary fiction novel, The Golden Age. First-time published author, Ellen van Neervan, was last year’s Dobbie winner for her book, Heat and Light.
The 2016 longlisted authors are:
Kibble Literary Award for an established author ($30,000 prize)
Debra Adelaide The Women’s Pages Pan Macmillan Australia
Tegan Bennett Daylight Six Bedrooms Random House Australia
Elizabeth Harrower A Few Days in the Country: And Other Stories The Text Publishing Company
Gail Jones A Guide to Berlin Random House Australia
Drusilla Modjeska Second Half First Random House Australia
Charlotte Wood The Natural Way of Things Allen & Unwin
Fiona Wright Small Acts of Disappearance Giramondo Publishing
Dobbie Literary Award for a first time published author ($5,000 prize)
Shirley Barrett Rush Oh! Pan Macmillan Australia
Anna Broinowski The Director is the Commander Penguin
Sonja Dechian An Astronaut’s Life The Text Publishing Company
Amanda Hickie An Ordinary Epidemic MidnightSun Publishing
Magda Szubanski Reckoning: A Memoir The Text Publishing Company
Lucy Treloar Salt Creek Pan Macmillan Australia
Lesley and Tammy
Williams Not Just Black and White University of Queensland Press
The judging panel of the Kibble Awards includes Humanities Australia Editor, Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Webby AM, State Library of New South Wales Coordinator – Education and Scholarship, Dr Rachel Franks, and internationally renowned novelist, Dr Rosie Scott.
Speaking on behalf of the panel, Ms Webby said: “The strength of this year’s entries for the Kibble and Dobbie Awards for Australian women’s life writing meant that judges had to expand the longlists from six to seven titles.
“Whether writing memoirs, novels, stories or essays, the longlisted authors present powerful and moving insights into life in Australia in both the past and present,” Ms Webby said.
Perpetual’s National Manager of Philanthropy and Non-Profit Services, Caitriona Fay, congratulated the longlisted authors on their achievement.
“As trustee of the Kibble Awards, we are delighted to carry out the proud legacy established by Nita May Dobbie to celebrate and recognise Australian female writers.”
The Kibble Awards shortlist will be announced on 6 June 2016.
For more information about the Award, please visit here.
