2024 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards night

The NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, as we are often reminded, are Australia’s richest and longest running state-based literary awards. This year, in a break with tradition, I didn’t do a blog post when the shortlist was announced. I was happy to read a consolidated list on Lisa Hill’s blog at this link.

At that time, had read two of the Christina Stead Prize contenders. I’d seen two of the plays shortlisted for the Nick Enright Prize. I did better on the Betty Roland Prize, having seen seen three of the movies. I had read none of the poetry, none of the children’s or young people’s books, none of the non-fiction. And it turns out I have read or seen none of the winners.

Last night, the awards ceremony was live streamed. I was busy with family, so tuned in late. It’s all on YouTube and you can even watch it here, The actual video begins at 8 minutes, 40 seconds with the Welcome to Country by Uncle Brendan Kerin from the Metropolitan Lands Council, who reminds us that we have a shared history, and manages to make comedy out of his experience as a member of the Stolen Generations. After introductory speeches from librarians and the Minister for Arts, the presentation of awards by the senior judge, Bernadette Brennan, begins at 40 minutes. The video is worth watching as – in the midst of much charming humility and gratitude – person after person refers to the unfolding disaster in Gaza, explicitly or implicitly responding to recent media attacks on the judging panel.

The winners (with links to the judges’ comments):

UTS Glenda Adam’s Award for New Writing (at 40 minutes)

Anam, André Dao

Multicultural NSW Award (at 43 minutes)

Stay for Dinner, Sandhya Parappukkaaran and Michelle Pereira

Indigenous Writers’ Prize (at 48 minutes)

She Is the Earth, Ali Cobby Eckermann

Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting (at 52 minutes)

Sex Magick, Nicholas Brown (Griffin Theatre Company & Currency Press)

Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting (at 56 minutes)

Safe Home, Episode 1, Anna Barnes

NSW Premier’s Translation Prize (at minutes)

Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature (at 60 minutes)

Paradise Sands: A Story of Enchantment, Levi Pinfold

Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature (at 1 hour, 2 minutes)

The Quiet and the Loud, Helena Fox

Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry (at 1 hour, 6 minutes)

Riverbed Sky Songs, Tae Rose Wae

Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-fiction (at 1 hour, 10 minutes)

Ghosts of the Orphanage: A Story of Mysterious Deaths, A Conspiracy of Silence, and a Search for Justice, Christine Keneally

Christina Stead Prize for Fiction (at 1 hour, 13 minutes)

The Sitter, Angela O’Keeffe

The People’s Choice Award (at 1 hour, 16 minutes)

The God of No Good, Sita Walker

Book of the Year (at 1 hour, 20 minutes)

She Is the Earth, Ali Cobby Eckermann

The presentations ended, as they began, with eloquent words about the lasting impact of the Stolen Generations.

There was no special award this year.