# The Age Book of the Year Awards

The Age Book of the Year Awards were annual literary awards presented by Melbourne's The Age newspaper. The awards were first presented in 1974. After 1998, they were presented as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival. Initially, two awards were given, one for fiction (or imaginative writing), the other for non-fiction work, but in 1993, a poetry award in honour of Dinny O'Hearn was added. The criteria were that the works be "of outstanding literary merit and express Australian identity or character," and be published in the year before the award was made. One of the award-winners was chosen as The Age Book of the Year. The awards were discontinued in 2013.
In 2021 The Age Book of the Year was revived as a fiction prize, with the winner announced at the Melbourne Writers Festival. A non-fiction prize was added the following year.

## The Age Book of the Year (from 2021)
### Fiction

The Age Book of the Year Awards winners :
| Year | Author | Title | Result |
| 2021 | Robbie Arnott | The Rain Heron | Won |
| 2022 | Miles Allinson | In Moonland | Won |
| 2023 | Robbie Arnott | Limberlost | Won |
| 2024 | Tony Birch* | Women & Children | Won |
| 2024 | Stephanie Bishop | Anniversary | Shortlisted |
| 2024 | Elise Hearst | One Day We're All Going to Die | Shortlisted |
| 2024 | Nicholas Jose | The Idealist | Shortlisted |
| 2024 | Charlotte Wood | Stone Yard Devotional | Shortlisted |
| 2024 | Jessica Zhan Mei Yu | But the Girl | Shortlisted |

### Non-Fiction

The Age Book of the Year Awards winners :
| Year | Author | Title | Result |
| 2022 | Bernadette Brennan | Leaping into Waterfalls | Won |
| 2023 | Kim Mahood | Wandering with Intent | Won |
| 2024 | Ross McMullin | Life So Full of Promise | Won |

## The Age Book of the Year (from 1974-2012)

The Age Book of the Year Awards winners :
| Year | Author | Title |
| 1974 | David Foster | The Pure Land |
| 1975 | Thea Astley | A Kindness Cup |
| 1976 | A. D. Hope | A Late Picking: Poems 1965-1974 |
| 1976 | Hugh Stretton | Capitalism, Socialism and the Environment |
| 1977 | Not awarded | |
| 1978 | Christopher Koch | The Year of Living Dangerously |
| 1979 | Roger McDonald | 1915: A Novel of Gallipoli |
| 1980 | David Ireland | A Woman of the Future |
| 1980 | Murray Bail | Homesickness |
| 1981 | Eric Charles Rolls | A Million Wild Acres |
| 1982 | David Malouf | Fly Away Peter |
| 1983 | Elizabeth Jolley | Mr Scobie's Riddle |
| 1984 | Nicholas Hasluck | The Bellarmine Jug |
| 1985 | Peter Carey | Illywhacker |
| 1986 | Joan London | Sister Ships and Other Stories |
| 1987 | Jessica Anderson | Stories from the Warm Zone |
| 1988 | Frank Moorhouse | Forty-Seventeen |
| 1989 | Marsden Hordern | Mariners are Warned: John Lort Stokes and HMA Beagle |
| 1990 | Gwen Harwood | Blessed City |
| 1991 | David Marr | Patrick White: A Life |
| 1992 | Marion Halligan | Lovers' Knots |
| 1993 | Elizabeth Jolley | The Georges' Wife |
| 1994 | Peter Carey | The Unusual Life of Tristan Smith |
| 1995 | Chris Wallace-Crabbe | Selected Poems 1956–1994 |
| 1996 | Thea Astley | The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow |
| 1997 | Peter Carey | Jack Maggs |
| 1998 | Elliot Perlman | Three Dollars |
| 1999 | K.S. Inglis | Sacred Places: War Memorials in the Australian Landscape |
| 2000 | Amy Witting | Isobel on the Way to the Corner Shop |
| 2001 | Rosemary Dobson | Untold Lives and Later Poems |
| 2002 | Don Watson | Recollections of a Bleeding Heart: Paul Keating PM |
| 2003 | Sonya Hartnett | Of a Boy |
| 2004 | Luke Davies | Totem |
| 2005 | Gay Bilson | Plenty: Digressions on Food |
| 2006 | Jennifer Maiden | Friendly Fire |
| 2007 | Peter Cochrane | Colonial Ambition: Foundations of Australian Democracy |
| 2008 | Don Watson | American Journeys |
| 2009 | Steven Amsterdam | Things We Didn't See Coming |
| 2010 | Alex Miller | Lovesong |
| 2011 | Fiona McGregor | Indelible Ink |
| 2012 | James Boyce | 1835: The Founding of Melbourne & the Conquest of Australia |

## Fiction (or Imaginative Writing) Award

Fiction (or Imaginative Writing) Award winners :
| Year | Author | Title |
| 1974 | David Foster | The Pure Land |
| 1975 | Thea Astley | A Kindness Cup |
| 1976 | A. D. Hope | A Late Picking: Poems 1965-1974 |
| 1977 | No award | |
| 1978 | Christopher Koch | The Year of Living Dangerously |
| 1979 | Roger McDonald | 1915: A Novel of Gallipoli |
| 1980 | David Ireland | A Woman of the Future |
| 1980 | Murray Bail | Homesickness |
| 1981 | Blanche d'Alpuget | Turtle Beach |
| 1982 | David Malouf | Fly Away Peter |
| 1983 | Elizabeth Jolley | Mr Scobie's Riddle |
| 1984 | Nicholas Hasluck | The Bellarmine Jug |
| 1985 | Peter Carey | Illywhacker |
| 1986 | Joan London | Sister Ships and Other Stories |
| 1987 | Jessica Anderson | Stories from the Warm Zone |
| 1988 | Frank Moorhouse | Forty-Seventeen |
| 1989 | Elizabeth Jolley | My Father's Moon |
| 1990 | Glenda Adams | Longleg |
| 1991 | Brian Castro | Double-Wolf |
| 1992 | Marion Halligan | Lovers' Knots |
| 1993 | Elizabeth Jolley | The Georges' Wife |
| 1994 | Peter Carey | The Unusual Life of Tristan Smith |
| 1995 | Rod Jones | Billy Sunday |
| 1996 | Thea Astley | The Multiple Effects of Rainshadow |
| 1997 | Peter Carey | Jack Maggs |
| 1998 | Elliot Perlman | Three Dollars |
| 1999 | James Bradley | The Deep Field |
| 2000 | Amy Witting | Isobel on the Way to the Corner Shop |
| 2001 | Peter Carey | True History of the Kelly Gang |
| 2002 | Joan London | Gilgamesh |
| 2003 | Sonya Hartnett | Of a Boy |
| 2004 | Andrew McGahan | The White Earth |
| 2005 | Gail Jones | Sixty Lights |
| 2006 | Christos Tsiolkas | Dead Europe |
| 2007 | David Malouf | Every Move You Make |
| 2008 | Tim Winton | Breath |
| 2009 | Steven Amsterdam | Things We Didn't See Coming |
| 2010 | Alex Miller | Lovesong |
| 2011 | Fiona McGregor | Indelible Ink |
| 2012 | Gillian Mears | Foal's Bread |

## Non-fiction Award

Non-fiction Award winners :
| Year | Author | Title |
| 1974 | Manning Clark | A History of Australia (Vol. 3) |
| 1975 | Not awarded | |
| 1976 | Hugh Stretton | Capitalism, Socialism and the Environment |
| 1977 | Not awarded | |
| 1978 | Patsy Adam-Smith | The Anzacs |
| 1979 | Not awarded | |
| 1980 | Not awarded | |
| 1981 | Eric Charles Rolls | A Million Wild Acres |
| 1982 | Geoffrey Serle | John Monash: A Biography |
| 1983 | Lloyd Robson | History of Tasmania |
| 1984 | John Rickard | HB Higgins: The Rebel and Judge |
| 1985 | Chester Eagle | Mapping the Paddocks |
| 1985 | Hugh Lunn | Vietnam: A Reporter's War |
| 1986 | Garry Kinnane | George Johnston: A Biography |
| 1987 | Robert Hughes | The Fatal Shore |
| 1988 | Robin Gerster | Big-Noting: The Heroic Theme in Australian War Writing |
| 1989 | Marsden Hordern | Mariners are Warned!: John Lort Stokes and HMS Beagle in Australia 1837-1843 |
| 1990 | Gwen Harwood | Blessed City |
| 1991 | David Marr | Patrick White: A Life |
| 1992 | Ruth Park | A Fence Around the Cuckoo |
| 1993 | Janet McCalman | Journeyings |
| 1994 | Jim Davidson | Lyrebird Rising |
| 1995 | Tim Flannery | The Future Eaters |
| 1996 | Geoffrey Serle | Robin Boyd: A Life |
| 1997 | Roberta Sykes | Snake Cradle |
| 1998 | Stuart MacIntyre | The Reds |
| 1999 | K.S. Inglis | Sacred Places: War Memorials in the Australian Landscape |
| 2000 | Kim Mahood | Craft for a Dry Lake |
| 2001 | Nadia Wheatley | The Life and Myth of Charmian Clift |
| 2002 | Don Watson | Recollections of a Bleeding Heart: Paul Keating Prime Minister |
| 2003 | Ann Galbally | Charles Condor: The Last Bohemian |
| 2004 | Peter Robb | A Death in Brazil |
| 2005 | Gay Bilson | Plenty: Digressions on Food |
| 2006 | Mandy Sayer | Velocity |
| 2007 | Peter Cochrane | Colonial Ambition: Foundations of Australian Democracy |
| 2008 | Don Watson | American Journeys |
| 2009 | Guy Rundle | Down to the Crossroads |
| 2010 | Kate Howarth | Ten Hail Marys |
| 2011 | Jim Davidson | A Three-Cornered Life |
| 2012 | James Boyce | 1835: The Founding of Melbourne & The Conquest of Australia |

## Dinny O'Hearn Poetry Prize

Dinny O'Hearn Poetry Prize winners :
| Year | Author | Title |
| 1993 | John Tranter | At the Florida |
| 1994 | Dorothy Porter | The Monkey's Mask |
| 1995 | Chris Wallace-Crabbe | Selected Poems 1956–1994 |
| 1996 | Eric Beach | Weeping for Lost Babylon |
| 1997 | Emma Lew | The Wild Reply |
| 1997 | Peter Porter | Dragons in their Pleasant Palaces |
| 1998 | John Kinsella | The Hunt and Other Poems |
| 1999 | R. A. Simpson | The Impossible, and Other Poems |
| 2000 | Peter Minter | Empty Texas |
| 2001 | Rosemary Dobson | Untold Lives and Later Poems |
| 2002 | Robert Gray | After Images |
| 2003 | Laurie Duggan | Mangroves |
| 2004 | Luke Davies | Totem |
| 2005 | Dipti Saravanamuttu | The Colosseum |
| 2006 | Jennifer Maiden | Friendly Fire |
| 2007 | Robert Adamson | The Goldfinches of Baghdad |
| 2008 | J. S. Harry | Not Finding Wittgenstein |
| 2009 | Peter Porter | Better Than God |
| 2010 | Jennifer Maiden | Pirate Rain |
| 2011 | John Tranter | Starlight: 150 Poems |
| 2012 | Mal McKimmie | The Brokenness Sonnets I-III And Other Poems |

## First Book

* 2005: The Unknown Zone by Phil Smith