Winners of the 2023 Queensland Literary Awards announced

• The Jaguar by Sarah Holland-Batt has won the Queensland Premier's Award for a Work of State Significance as well as $25,000 prize money.
• We Come With This Place by Debra Dank won the University of Queensland non-fiction book award with prize money of $15,000, with the author being one of six First Nations writers to win an award.
• A total of $238,500 in prize money was awarded across 12 genres including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and published and unpublished work.

A children’s story, a poetry anthology, and a memoir have been crowned winners at tonight’s 2023 Queensland Literary Awards. The winners were announced during a ceremony hosted by Benjamin Law at State Library of Queensland and saw 56 finalists contend for a total prize pool of $238,500.

Now in its ninth year, the Queensland Literary Awards celebrate both emerging and established authors across 12 genres including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and published as well as unpublished work.

The closely contested top prize, the Queensland Premier’s Award for a Work of State Significance went to Sarah Holland-Batt. Holland-Batt’s bold anthology of poems, The Jaguar tells the story of her father’s last stages of life with Parkinson’s Disease.

The Jaguar, which also won the 2023 Stella Prize earlier this year, was described by the judges as, “lyrical and compassionate and a moving exploration of family dynamics, ageing, memory, desire, nature, and art, combined with a passionate rage about our care of our elders.”

The Queensland Premiers’ Award comes with a prize of $25,000 and honours an Australian writer committed to documenting, discussing or highlighting a uniquely Queensland story. Previous winners include Melissa Lucashenko for Too Much Lip, Libby Connors for Warrior and Fiona Foley for Biting the Clouds.

First Nations writers Debra Dank was one of six First Nations writers to win an award. Dank won the University of Queensland Non-Fiction Book Award and $15,000 prize money for We Come with This Place. The judges said Dank’s book “takes us into the world of her childhood, into her family and onto her Country.”

These awards help to deliver on the priorities outlined in the Arts Queensland Creative Together 2020-2030: A 10-Year Roadmap for Arts, culture and creativity strategy.

With the support of Arts Queensland, State Library of Queensland manages the awards in collaboration with sponsors, industry partners and the writing community.

Quotes from Acting Premier Steven Miles:

“Congratulations to all the nominees and winners.  These awards serve as a great reminder of the raft of talent we have right here in Queensland.

“The Palaszczuk Government was proud to reinstate funding for the Queensland Literary Awards in 2015, after funding was cut by Campbell Newman, David Crisafulli and the LNP.

“Our ongoing investment creates a great opportunity to celebrate and cultivate Queensland’s literary talent and build on our reputation as a leader in the national literary landscape.”

Quotes from the Arts Minister, Leeanne Enoch MP:

“Congratulations to the 2023 winners of the Queensland Literary Awards!”

“Each year, the Queensland Literary Awards recognise and celebrate Australian writing, providing a platform for writers at all stages of their career and an opportunity to share Queensland’s unique stories. These awards showcase the depth and diversity of the new literary talent being fostered while also ensuring a secure future of writing in Queensland.

“The Palaszczuk Government’s investment in the Queensland Literary Awards through the State Library has been instrumental in showcasing and growing the profile of the state’s outstanding storytellers.

Quotes from State Librarian and CEO Vicki McDonald AM:

“I applaud the winners of this year’s Queensland Literary Awards.

 “Now more than ever we need authors in our lives who help us connect to stories that matter and keep us curious about our world.

“The calibre of award winners is exceptional, and I look forward to watching their continuing journeys and celebrating their successes.”

For more information visit: Queensland Literary Awards

2023 Queensland Literary Awards winners

Queensland Premier's Award for a Work of State Significance 
Awarded to an outstanding work, by an Australian writer, focused on documenting, discussing or highlighting a uniquely Queensland story. 

Prize: $25,000  

• The Jaguar by Sarah Holland-Batt (University of Queensland Press) 

Queensland Writers Fellowships  

Awarded to three (3) established Queensland authors to advance a writing project over 12 months. (There is no shortlist for this prize.) 

Prize: three Fellowships of $15,000 each, plus professional development support to the value of $4,500 

• Al Campbell for her novel project “Door 64” 
• B.R. Dionysius for his poetry project “The Eromanga Sea” 
• Melanie Saward for her novel project “The Next Chapter” 

Queensland Premier's Young Publishers and Writers Awards 
Awarded to two (2) outstanding Queensland writers up to 30 years of age. 

Prize: two awards of $10,000 plus career development support to the value of $2,500 each  

• Jasmin McGaughey 
• Jonathan O’Brien 

The University of Queensland Fiction Book Award 
Awarded to an outstanding work of fiction by an Australian writer. 

Prize: $15,000 

• Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright (Giramondo Publishing) 

The University of Queensland Non-Fiction Book Award 
Awarded to an outstanding work of non-fiction by an Australian writer. 

Prize: $15,000 

• We Come with This Place by Debra Dank (Echo Publishing) 

Children’s Book Award 
Awarded to a work, suitable for children up to 12 years old, by an Australian writer. 

Prize: $15,000 

• Waiting for the Storks by Katrina Nannestad (ABC Books: An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) 

Griffith University Young Adult Book Award 
Awarded to a work, suitable for young adults aged 13 to 19, by an Australian writer. 

Prize: $15,000 

• Completely Normal (and Other Lies) by Biffy James (Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing) 

University of Southern Queensland Steele Rudd Award for a Short Story Collection 
Awarded for an outstanding collection of short stories by an Australian writer. 

Prize: $15,000 

• Women I Know by Katerina Gibson (Scribner Australia) 

Judith Wright Calanthe Award for a Poetry Collection 
Awarded for an outstanding collection of poetry by an Australian writer. 

Prize: $15,000 

• Harvest Lingo by Lionel Fogarty (Giramondo Publishing) 

David Unaipon Award for an Emerging Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Writer 
Awarded for an outstanding manuscript by an unpublished Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writer. 

Prize: $15,000, plus publication with the University of Queensland Press 

• Maria van Neerven for her poetry manuscript “To Give Them a Voice”

Glendower Award for an Emerging Queensland Writer  

Awarded for an outstanding manuscript by an unpublished Queensland writer.  

Prize: $15,000, plus publication with the University of Queensland Press 

• Steve MinOn for his novel manuscript “First Name Second Name”

The Courier-Mail People’s Choice Queensland Book of the Year Award  

Awarded to an outstanding book by a Queensland author, taken from eligible books entered in the Fiction and Non-Fiction categories. The winner of The Courier-Mail People's Choice Queensland Book of the Year Award was determined by public vote.

Prize: $10,000

• Sita Walker for her book The God of No Good (Ultimo Press)

ENDS

Media contact: Pema Bastin 0422 655 582