# Victorian Premier's Literary Awards

The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry. As of 2013, it is reportedly Australia's richest literary prize with the top winner receiving A$125,000 and category winners A$25,000 each.
The awards were established in 1985 by John Cain, Premier of Victoria, to mark the centenary of the births of Vance and Nettie Palmer, two of Australia's best-known writers and critics who made significant contributions to Victorian and Australian literary culture.
From 1986 till 1997, the awards were presented as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival. In 1997 their administration was transferred to the State Library of Victoria. By 2004, the total prize money was A$180,000. In 2011, stewardship was taken over by the Wheeler Centre.

## Winners 2011–present

Beginning in 2011, the awards were restructured into five categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Drama and Young People's. The winner of each receives $25,000. Of those five winners, one is chosen as the overall winner of the Victorian Prize for Literature and receives an additional $100,000. There are two other categories with different prize amounts: an honorary People's Choice Award voted on by readers, and an Unpublished Manuscript Award with a prize amount of $15,000. In 2022 an Award for Children's Literature valued at $25,000 was added, with entries being accepted in 2023. Another category was added in 2024, the John Clarke Prize for Humour Writing, honouring satirist John Clarke, for fiction, nonfiction and poetry.
Shortlists are maintained in the main article for each category.

### Victorian Prize for Literature

| Year | Author | Title | Ref. |
| 2011 | Kim Scott | That Deadman Dance | |
| 2012 | Bill Gammage | The Biggest Estate on Earth | |
| 2013 | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. |
| 2014 | Jennifer Maiden | Liquid Nitrogen | |
| 2015 | Alan Atkinson | The Europeans in Australia: Volume Three: Nation | |
| 2016 | Mary Anne Butler | Broken | |
| 2017 | Leah Purcell | The Drover's Wife | |
| 2018 | Sarah Krasnostein | The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in Death, Decay & Disaster | |
| 2019 | Behrouz Boochani | No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison | |
| 2020 | S. Shakthidharan with Eamon Flack | Counting and Cracking | |
| 2021 | Laura Jean McKay | The Animals in That Country | |
| 2022 | Veronica Gorrie | Black and Blue: A Memoir of Racism and Resilience | |
| 2023 | Jessica Au | Cold Enough for Snow | |
| 2024 | Grace Yee | Chinese Fish | |
| 2025 | Wanda Gibson | Three Dresses | |

### Fiction

For winners from 1985 to 2010, see Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction.
| Year | Author | Title | Ref. |
| 2011 | Kim Scott | That Deadman Dance | |
| 2012 | Gillian Mears | Foal's Bread | |
| 2013 | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. |
| 2014 | Alex Miller | Coal Creek | |
| 2015 | Rohan Wilson | To Name Those Lost | |
| 2016 | Mireille Juchau | The World Without Us | |
| 2017 | Georgia Blain | Between a Wolf and a Dog | |
| 2018 | Melanie Cheng | Australia Day | |
| 2019 | Elise Valmorbida | The Madonna of the Mountains | |
| 2020 | Christos Tsiolkas | Damascus | |
| 2021 | Laura Jean McKay | The Animals in That Country | |
| 2022 | Melissa Manning | Smokehouse | |
| 2023 | Jessica Au | Cold Enough for Snow | |
| 2024 | Melissa Lucashenko | Edenglassie | |

### Nonfiction

For winners from 1985 to 2010, see the Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction.
| Year | Author | Title | Ref. |
| 2011 | Mark McKenna | An Eye for Eternity: The Life Of Manning Clark | |
| 2012 | Bill Gammage | The Biggest Estate on Earth | |
| 2013 | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. |
| 2014 | Henry Reynolds | Forgotten War | |
| 2015 | Alan Atkinson | The Europeans in Australia: Volume Three: Nation | |
| 2016 | Gerald Murnane | Something for the Pain | |
| 2017 | Madeline Gleeson | Offshore: Behind the Wire on Manus | |
| 2018 | Sarah Krasnostein | The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in Death, Decay & Disaster | |
| 2019 | Behrouz Boochani | No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison | |
| 2020 | Christina Thompson | Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia | |
| 2021 | Paddy Manning | Body Count: How Climate Change Is Killing Us | |
| 2022 | Amani Haydar | The Mother Wound | |
| 2023 | Eda Gunaydin | Root & Branch: Essays on Inheritance | |
| 2024 | Ellen van Neerven | Personal Score: Sport, Culture, Identity | |

### Poetry

For winners from 1985 to 2010, see the C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry.
| Year | Author | Title | Ref. |
| 2011 | Cate Kennedy | The Taste of River Water | |
| 2012 | John Kinsella | Armour | |
| 2013 | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. |
| 2014 | Jennifer Maiden | Liquid Nitrogen | |
| 2015 | Jill Jones | The Beautiful Anxiety | |
| 2016 | Alan Loney | Crankhandle | |
| 2017 | Maxine Beneba Clarke | Carrying the World | |
| 2018 | Bella Li | Argosy | |
| 2019 | Kate Lilley | Tilt | |
| 2020 | Charmaine Papertalk Green | Nganajungu Yagu | |
| 2021 | David Stavanger | Case Notes | |
| 2022 | Maria Takolander | Trigger Warning | |
| 2023 | Gavin Yuan Gao | At the Altar of Touch | |
| 2024 | Grace Yee | Chinese Fish | |

### Writing for Young Adults

For winners from 1985 to 2010, see the Victorian Premier's Prize for Young Adult Fiction.
| Year | Author | Title | Ref. |
| 2011 | Cassandra Golds | The Three Loves of Persimmon | |
| 2012 | John Larkin | The Shadow Girl | |
| 2013 | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. |
| 2014 | Barry Jonsberg | My Life as an Alphabet | |
| 2015 | Claire Zorn | The Protected | |
| 2016 | Marlee Jane Ward | Welcome to Orphancorp | |
| 2017 | Randa Abdel-Fattah | When Michael met Mina | |
| 2018 | Demet Divaroren | Living on Hope Street | |
| 2019 | Ambelin Kwaymullina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina | Catching Teller Crow | |
| 2020 | Helena Fox | How It Feels to Float | |
| 2021 | Cath Moore | Metal Fish, Falling Snow | |
| 2022 | Felicity Castagna | Girls in Boys' Cars | |
| 2023 | Kate Murray | We Who Hunt the Hollow | |
| 2024 | Lili Wilkinson | A Hunger of Thorns | |

### Drama

For winners from 1985 to 2010, see the Louis Esson Prize for Drama.
| Year | Author | Title | |
| 2011 | Patricia Cornelius | Do not go gentle… | |
| 2012 | Lally Katz | A Golem Story | |
| 2013 | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. |
| 2014 | Patricia Cornelius | Savages | |
| 2015 | Angus Cerini | Resplendence | |
| 2016 | Mary Anne Butler | Broken | |
| 2017 | Leah Purcell | The Drover's Wife | |
| 2018 | Michele Lee | Rice | |
| 2019 | Kendall Feaver | The Almighty Sometimes | |
| 2020 | S. Shakthidharan with Eamon Flack | Counting and Cracking | |
| 2021 | Angus Cerini | Wonnangatta | |
| 2022 | Dylan Van Den Berg | Milk | |
| 2023 | John Harvey | The Return | |
| 2024 | S. Shakthidharan and Eamon Flack | The Jungle and the Sea | |

### People's Choice Award

| Year | Author | Title | Ref. |
| 2011 | Anna Krien | Into The Woods: The Battle for Tasmania's Forests | |
| 2012 | Aidan Fennessy | National Interest | |
| 2013 | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. | Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. |
| 2014 | Hannah Kent | Burial Rites | |
| 2015 | Tim Low | Where Song Began | |
| 2016 | Miles Allinson | Fever of Animals | |
| 2017 | Randa Abdel-Fattah | When Michael met Mina | |
| 2018 | Alison Evans | Ida | |
| 2019 | Bri Lee | Eggshell Skull | |
| 2020 | Chloe Higgins | The Girls | |
| 2021 | Louise Milligan | Witness: An Investigation into the Brutal Cost of Seeking Justice | |
| 2022 | Rebecca Lim | Tiger Daughter | |
| 2023 | Karlie Noon and Krystal De Napoli | Astronomy: Sky Country | |
| 2024 | Antony Loewenstein | The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World | |
| 2025 | Robert Skinner | I'd Rather Not | |

### Unpublished Manuscript

For winners from 2003 to 2010, see the main article. No award was presented in 2011.
| Year | Author | Title |
| 2012 | Graeme Simsion | The Rosie Project |
| 2013 | Maxine Beneba Clarke | Foreign Soil |
| 2014 | Miles Allinson | Fever of Animals |
| 2015 | Jane Harper | The Dry |
| 2016 | Melanie Cheng | Australia Day |
| 2017 | Christian White | Decay Theory |
| 2019 | Victoria Hannan | Kokomo |
| 2020 | Rhett David | Hovering |
| 2021 | André Dao | Anam |
| 2022 | Keshe Chow | Fauna of Mirrors |
| 2023 | Mick Cummins | One Divine Night |
| 2024 | Rachel Morton | Panajachel |

### Indigenous Writing

| Year | Author | Title |
| 2004 | Vivienne Cleven | Her Sister's Eye |
| 2006 | Tara June Winch | Swallow the Air |
| 2008 | Yvette Holt | Anonymous Premonition |
| 2010 | Larissa Behrendt | Legacy |
| 2012 | Anita Heiss | Am I Black Enough For You? |
| 2014 | Melissa Lucashenko | Mullumbimby |
| 2016 | Tony Birch | Ghost River |
| 2019 | Kim Scott | Taboo |
| 2021 | Archie Roach | Tell Me Why: The Story of My Life and My Music |
| 2022 | Veronica Gorrie | Black and Blue: A Memoir of Racism and Resilience |
| 2023 | Lystra Rose | The Upwelling |
| 2024 | Daniel Browning | Close to the Subject: Selected Works |

### Children's Literature

| Year | Author | Title | Ref. |
| 2024 | Remy Lai | Ghost Book | |
| 2025 | Wanda Gibson | Three Dresses | |

## Defunct award categories (1985–2010)

From 1985 to 2010 prizes were offered in some or all of the below categories.
* Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction
* Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction
* Prize for Young Adult Fiction
* C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry
* Louis Esson Prize for Drama
* Alfred Deakin Prize for an Essay Advancing Public Debate (after Alfred Deakin)
* Prize for Science Writing (biennial)
* Village Roadshow Prize for Screen Writing
* Grollo Ruzzene Foundation Prize for Writing about Italians in Australia
* John Curtin Prize for Journalism
* Prize for Best Music Theatre Script
* Prize for Indigenous Writing (Biennial)
* Prize for a First Book of History (Biennial)
* Dinny O'Hearn Prize for Literary Translation (Triennial)
* A.A. Phillips Prize for Australian Studies
* Alan Marshall Prize for Children's Literature
* Prize for First Fiction