Alexis Wright has been sweeping Australian literary awards since the release of her novel Praiseworthy, and now her full body of work has been celebrated by the Melbourne Prize for Literature.

The annual prize is awarded to a Victorian author whose body of published work has made an outstanding contribution to Australian literature and to cultural and intellectual life, and it is one of Australia's most valuable and prestigious literary awards. Past winners of the prize include Christos Tsiolkas, Alison Lester and Helen Garner.

Alexis Wright's body of work includes masterful novels and insightful nonfiction that have garnered her a devoted readership in Australia and abroad.

Her novel Praiseworthy has won the Miles Franklin, the Stella prize, the Queensland Literary award for fiction, and the UK's James Tait Black prize since its release in 2023; Wright also won the Miles Franklin for her 2006 novel Carpentaria and won the Stella Prize for the 2017 memoir, Tracker.

Discover more of her work here.

Evelyn Araluen, one of the judges of the 2024 prize, said:

'While we’re privileged to have a wealth of phenomenal writers in Melbourne, Alexis embodies an order of excellence and influence that is transformational for her readers, First Nations or otherwise.
It has been a privilege to read her throughout my life, and I’m honoured to have been able to play a role in affirming yet another well-deserved accolade for all her achievements.'

The winner of the Writers Prize 2024 and the inaugural Falls Creek Writers Residencies were announced alongside the Melbourne Prize for Literature.

Carrie Tiffany won the Writers Prize for her essay 'Seven Snakes' and will receive $10,000 and have her essay published in Meanjin's 2024 summer edition. Playwright Angus Cerini and writer Claire Thomas were the winners of the Falls Creek Writers’ Residencies, which is proudly sponsored by Readings and provides a 3 week residency at the Falls Creek Alpine Resort and $1,000 for each recipient.

Judith Bishop won the Civic Choice Award 2024, as the Writers Prize finalist who received the highest number of public votes. Bishop will recieve $1,500, sponsored by Hardie Grant.

Read more about the prize and the 2024 finalists here.