2018 Prime Minister's Literary Awards now open

Entries are now open for the 2018 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, which recognise outstanding Australian literature.

The Turnbull Government commends the contribution the literary arts make to Australia’s cultural and intellectual life. The Awards celebrate authors, poets, illustrators and historians and acknowledge their impact on contemporary Australia.

The Awards are presented in six categories: fiction, poetry, non-fiction, Australian history, young adult and children’s literature. The Australian history category is open to a range of formats including journals, magazines, film, radio and online content.

This year the children’s literature category has been extended to allow entries with up to three creators to reflect the contribution of illustrators.

Expert judging panels will assess the entries and make recommendations to the Prime Minister. Prize money is awarded in each category with up to $80,000 for winners and $5,000 for shortlisted books.  

Since the Awards began in 2008 there have been 214 shortlisted authors and 63 winning authors.

Australian authors, publishers and producers are invited to submit entries to the Awards which will close on Wednesday, 9 May 2018.

To be eligible, entries must have been published or released between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2017.

Entry forms and guidelines are available at: www.arts.gov.au/pmla