The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards shortlists 2024

Exciting news! The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2024 shortlist has just been announced. The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards were inaugurated by the Victorian Government in 1985 to honour literary achievement by Australian writers. The awards are administered by the Wheeler Centre on behalf of the Premier of Victoria.


Prize for Fiction


Highly commended: Burn by Melanie Saward, Paradise Estate by Max Easton and Southern Aurora by Mark Brandi


Prize for Non-fiction


Prize for Indigenous Writing


Highly commended: Dirrarn by Carl Merrison & Hakea Hustler and Etta and the Shadow Taboo by J.M. Field & Jeremy Worrall (illus.)


Prize for Poetry


Prize for Children's Literature


Highly commended: Australia: Country of Colour by Jess Racklyeft and The Goodbye Year by Emily Gale


Prize for Writing for Young Adults


Highly commended: We Didn't Think It Through by Gary Lonesborough


Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript

  • Garbage by Hayley Elliott-Ryan
  • Laughing River by N.J. Madden
  • Panajachel by Rachel Morton

Prize for Drama


The winners of the main suite of awards – fiction, nonfiction, drama, poetry, writing for young adults and the prize for Indigenous writing – each receive $25,000. The winner of the Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript receives $15,000. The category winners will be announced early next year, and will go on to contest the overall Victorian Prize for Literature, worth an additional $100,000. The winners will be announced on Thursday 1st February 2024. Visit the Wheeler Centre website for more information.

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Cover image for But the Girl

But the Girl

Jessica Zhan Mei Yu

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