Prime Minister’s Literary Awards and Formation of the Book Council of Australia

From the press release:

The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards celebrate the contribution of Australian literature to our cultural and intellectual life.

Tonight’s Awards recognise excellence in Australian fiction, poetry, non-fiction, young adult fiction and children’s fiction.

They also recognise excellence in Australian history.

More than 500 books were entered into the 2014 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards.

In addition to tonight’s awards, the Government announces the formation of a new Book Council of Australia to promote Australian writing nationally and internationally and encourage and promote reading.

Books are vital to our culture and to our identity.

This new body will ensure Australia’s literary sector and its writers are strongly supported.

It will strengthen the sector’s capacity to respond to rapid change brought by new technologies.

Members of the new Book Council of Australia will be drawn from a wide range of literary and industry organisations.

We congratulate each of the winners and to all the shortlisted writers on their outstanding achievement.

The 2014 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards shortlists and winners are below.

2014 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards shortlists and category winners

Fiction

• A World of Other People, Steven Carroll (Harper Collins) *
• The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Richard Flanagan (Vintage Australia) *
• The Night Guest, Fiona McFarlane (Penguin: Hamish Hamilton)
• Coal Creek, Alex Miller (Allen & Unwin)
• Belomor, Nicolas Rothwell (Text Publishing)

Poetry

• Tempo, Sarah Day (Puncher & Wattmann Poetry)
• Eldershaw, Stephen Edgar (Black Pepper)
• 1953, Geoff Page (University of Queensland Press)
• Drag Down to Unlock or Place an Emergency Call, Melinda Smith (Pitt Street Poetry) *
• Chains of Snow, Jakob Ziguras (Pitt Street Poetry)

Non-Fiction

• Moving Among Strangers, Gabrielle Carey (University of Queensland Press) *
• The Lucky Culture, Nick Cater (Harper Collins Publishers)
• Citizen Emperor, Philip Dwyer (Bloomsbury Publishing)
• Rendezvous with Destiny, Michael Fullilove (Penguin)
• Madeleine: A Life of Madeleine St John, Helen Trinca (Text Publishing) *

Prize for Australian History

• Broken Nation: Australians in the Great War, Joan Beaumont (Allen & Unwin) *
• First Victory 1914, Mike Carlton (Random House)
• Australia’s Secret War: How unionists sabotaged our troops in World War II, Hal G.P. Colebatch (Quadrant Books) *
• Arthur Phillip: Sailor, Mercenary, Governor, Spy, Michael Pembroke (Hardie Grant Books)
• The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka, Clare Wright (Text Publishing)

Young Adult Fiction

• The Incredible Here and Now, Felicity Castagna (Giramondo) *
• Pureheart, Cassandra Golds (Penguin)
• Girl Defective, Simmone Howell (Pan Macmillan)
• Life in Outer Space, Melissa Keil (Hardie Grant Egmont)
• The First Third, Will Kostakis (Penguin)

Children’s Fiction

• Silver Buttons, Bob Graham (Walker Books ) *
• Song for a Scarlet Runner, Julie Hunt (Allen & Unwin)
• My Life as an Alphabet, Barry Jonsberg (Allen & Unwin)
• Kissed by the Moon, Alison Lester (Puffin)
• Rules of Summer, Shaun Tan (Hachette)

(*Denotes category winners)

Official website.