2021 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards

Victorian Prize for Literature
The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay (Victoria, Scribe Publications)

Prize for Fiction
The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay (Victoria, Scribe Publications)

Prize for Non-Fiction
Body Count: How Climate Change is Killing Us by Paddy Manning (NSW, Simon & Schuster Australia)

Prize for Drama
Wonnangatta by Angus Cerini (Victoria, Sydney Theatre Company)

Prize for Poetry
Case Notes by David Stavanger (NSW, UWA Publishing)

Prize for Young Adult Writing
Metal Fish, Falling Snow by Cath Moore (Victoria, Text Publishing)

Prize for Indigenous Writing
Tell Me Why: The Story of My Life and My Music by Archie Roach (Victoria, Simon & Schuster Australia)

Unpublished Manuscript Award
Anam by André Dao (Victoria)

People’s Choice Award
Witness: An Investigation into the Brutal Cost of Seeking Justice by Louise Milligan (Hachette Australia)

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The Shortlist

FICTION

The Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard Flanagan (Penguin Random House)

Our Shadows by Gail Jones (Text Publishing)

The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay (Scribe Publications)

The Coconut Children by Vivian Pham (Penguin Random House)

NON-FICTION

Songlines: The Power and Promise by Margo Neale and Lynne Kelly (Thames & Hudson Australia)

Body Count: How Climate Change is Killing Us by Paddy Manning (Simon & Schuster Australia)

Show Me Where It Hurts by Kylie Maslen (Text Publishing)

Witness: An Investigation into the Brutal Cost of Seeking Justice by Louise Milligan (Hachette Australia)

Blueberries by Ellena Savage (Text Publishing)

Fire Country: How Indigenous Fire Management Could Help Save Australia by Victor Steffensen (Hardie Grant Travel)

DRAMA

Wonnangatta by Angus Cerini (Sydney Theatre Company)

SLAP. BANG. KISS. by Dan Giovannoni (Melbourne Theatre Company)

Sunshine Super Girl: The Evonne Goolagong Story by Andrea James (Currency Press)

POETRY

Ask Me About the Future by Rebecca Jessen (University of Queensland Press)

Case Notes by David Stavanger (UWA Publishing)

Throat by Ellen van Neerven (University of Queensland Press)

WRITING FOR YOUNG ADULTS

The F Team by Rawah Arja (Giramondo Publishing)

Metal Fish, Falling Snow by Cath Moore (Text Publishing)

Where We Begin by Christie Nieman (Pan Macmillan Australia)

INDIGENOUS WRITING

Tell Me Why: The Story of My Life and My Music by Archie Roach (Simon & Schuster Australia)

Kindred by Kirli Saunders (Magabala Books)

Song of the Crocodile by Nardi Simpson (Hachette Australia)

Where the Fruit Falls by Karen Wyld (UWA Publishing)

UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT

Anam by André Dao

On a Knife’s Edge by Neela Janakiramanan

But the Girl by Jessica Zhan Mei Yu

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Highly Commended

FICTION

Revenge: Murder in Three Parts by S.L. Lim (Transit Lounge)

Smart Ovens for Lonely People by Elizabeth Tan (Brio Books)

NON-FICTION

After the Count by Stephanie Convery (Penguin Random House)

Hazelwood by Tom Doig (Penguin Random House)

People of the River by Grace Karskens (Allen & Unwin)

British India, White Australia: Overseas Indians, intercolonial relations and the Empire by Kama Maclean (NewSouth Publishing)

DRAMA

Wherever She Wanders by Kendall Feaver (Griffin Theatre Company and Currency Press)

Torch the Place by Benjamin Law (Melbourne University Publishing)

POETRY

Of Memory and Furniture by Bron Bateman (Fremantle Press)

Turbulence by Thuy On (UWA Publishing)

YOUNG ADULT

The End of the World is Bigger than Love by Davina Bell (Text Publishing)

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix (Allen & Unwin)

INDIGENOUS WRITING

Late Murrumbidgee Poems by John Mukky Burke (Cordite Books)

UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT

Children of Tomorrow by J.R. Burgmann

Goblins by Patrick Hunn

The Guest House by Kylie Mirmohamadi

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The Judges

FICTION

Mark Brandi, Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, Peggy Frew, Sonia Nair (convenor)

NON-FICTION

Shakira Hussein, Crusader Hillis, Yves Rees, Sami Shah, Jacinda Woodhead (convenor)

DRAMA

Patricia Cornelius, Jacob Boehme, Samah Sabawi (convenor)

POETRY

Evelyn Araluen, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Andy Jackson (convenor)

WRITING FOR YOUNG ADULTS

Jackie Tang, Rebecca Lim, Michael Earp (convenor)

INDIGENOUS WRITING

Crystal McKinnon, Yvette Holt, Carissa Lee (convenor)

UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT

Alison Evans, Elena Gomez (convenor)

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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.