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New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards

The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry, and the Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction.

History
The NSW Premier's Literary Awards were established in 1979 by the New South Wales Premier Neville Wran. Commenting on its purpose, Wran said: "We want the arts to take, and be seen to take, their proper place in our social priorities. If governments treat writers and artists with respect and understanding, the community will be more likely to do the same." They were the first set of premier's awards offered in Australia. ==Judging==
Judging
The winners of most of the prizes and awards are decided by a judging panel, with no input from Create NSW (former Arts NSW) or the New South Wales Government. The names of each year's judges are not announced until the final winners are decided. The judging has been the subject of controversy in the past, when in 2010, the panel decided not to bestow the Play Award on any of the applicants. In November 2011, the NSW Government announced a review of the Premier's Literary Awards for 2012. An independent panel, chaired by journalist Gerard Henderson, reviewed both the Literary and the Premier's History Awards, focussed on the governance, selection criteria and judging processes. Following the review, the Awards are managed by the State Library of NSW, in association with Create NSW. ==Categories==
Categories
The following prizes and awards are currently given in the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards. • Christina Stead Prize for FictionDouglas Stewart Prize for Non-FictionKenneth Slessor Prize for PoetryEthel Turner Prize for Young People's LiteraturePatricia Wrightson Prize for Children's LiteratureNSW Multicultural Award (formerly Ethnic Affairs Commission Award, Community Relations Commission Award) • UTS Glenda Adams Award for New WritingNick Enright Prize for Playwriting (formerly the Play Award) • Betty Roland Prize for Script Writing (formerly the separate Film, Television and Radio Writing Awards) • NSW Premier's Prize for Literary ScholarshipPeople's Choice AwardSpecial AwardNSW Premier's Translation Prize • Multicultural NSW Early Career Translator Prize • Indigenous Writers Prize • Gleebooks Prize (currently inactive) Christina Stead Prize for Fiction The Christina Stead Prize is awarded for a work of fiction that may be either a novel or a collection of stories. The first recipient was David Malouf, who was awarded the Prize for his novella An Imaginary Life in 1979. In 2019 Michelle de Kretser won with The Life to Come and equalled Peter Carey's record of three wins. Award winners Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction The Douglas Stewart Prize is awarded for a prose work that is not fiction. The first recipient was Manning Clark, who was awarded the Prize for the fourth volume in his series A History of Australia in 1979. Drusilla Modjeska, with three wins, has won the Prize more than any other individual. The first recipient was David Campbell, who won the Prize posthumously. In 2011, NSW poet Jennifer Maiden became the only individual to win the award three times. The Children's Literature section of the Premier's Literary Awards began as a single award in 1979, but was redefined in 1999 to create the Patricia Wrightson Prize (for writing for a primary school audience) and the Ethel Turner Prize (for a secondary school audience). The Ethel Turner Award was also given to all previous winners in the Children's Literature section. The Prize was first won, jointly, by Patricia Wrightson and Jenny Wagner in 1979. Australian author Ursula Dubosarsky and writer Jaclyn Moriarty have each won the prize three times. The recipient receives a A$30,000 prize . The first recipient was Odo Hirsch, for his debut children's book, Antonio S and the Mystery of Theodore Guzman. The most recent recipient is Leanne Hall, author of Iris and the Tiger. Kierin Meehan is the only author who has won the Prize more than once. Later known as the Community Relations Commission Award, and from 2012 referred to as the Community Relations Commission for Multicultural NSW Award, or from 2014 just Multicultural NSW Award, the prize money is worth $20,000 . It is offered for: "a book of fiction or non-fiction, memoir or history; a play, musical drama or comedy, theatrical monologue or other theatrical performance; a book of collected poems or a single poem of substantial length published in book form; the screenplay of a feature or documentary film or episode of a television program...; or the script of a radio play or documentary which is deemed by the judges to have made a significant contribution to Australian literature, poetry, theatre, film, radio or television and which also considers any aspect of the Australian migration experience; and/or aspects of cultural diversity and multiculturalism in Australian society." Award winners UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing The UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing (originally the UTS Award for New Writing) is given for a published book of fiction by an author who has not previously published a work of fiction that is book-length. It was established in 2005, The award was renamed in 2008 to honour Glenda Adams, the Australian novelist and short story writer who died in 2007. Award winners Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting The Play Award, established in 1983, is given to a play or musical which has been produced in Australia. The winner is chosen based purely on the merit of the written text, and they receive a A$30,000 prize . Gil Appleton, head of the judging panel, called for all future judges to see a performance of the play rather than judging the work on the script alone. and they receive a A$30,000 prize . Award winners People's Choice Award This award was established in 2009 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the awards. The Award is based on votes by New South Wales residents from the works shortlisted for the Christina Stead Prize for fiction. The award was first won by Steve Toltz for his novel, A Fraction of the Whole. Award winners Book of the Year The winner of the New South Wales Book of the Year is chosen from among the winners of that year's awards, with the award worth an extra A$10,000 . Award winners Special Award The Special Award can be proposed by the judges for a work that doesn't easily fit into the existing prizes, or as a general recognition of a writer's achievements. The winner received a A$10,000 prize . Award winners Multicultural NSW Early Career Translator Prize The Multicultural NSW Early Career Translator Prize was established in 2015. It is sponsored by Multicultural NSW and the winner currently receives a A$5,000 prize. The award acknowledges translators in the first ten years of their practice. Award winners Indigenous Writers' Prize The inaugural Indigenous Writers' Prize was awarded in 2016. The prize is offered biennially and the winner receives a A$30,000 prize. The prize is intended to acknowledge the contribution made to Australian literary culture by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers. The first award was shared by joint winners, Bruce Pascoe for his book Dark Emu and Ellen van Neerven for Heat and Light. Award winners Gleebooks Prize for Critical Writing The Gleebooks Prize was established in 1995 and was offered for Australian critical writing. The winner received a A$10,000 prize. It was last awarded in 2009 to David Love and its current status is unknown. Award winners ==See also==
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