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T. A. G. Hungerford Award
or TAG Hungerford Award ; or City of Fremantle Hungerford Award
Subcategory of Awards Australian Awards
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History

The T.A.G. Hungerford is given biennially to a full-length manuscript of fiction or creative nonfiction, by a West Australian author previously unpublished in book form. The winner receives a cash prize plus a publishing contract with Fremantle Press.

In 2018, the City of Fremantle renewed its support for the award, increasing the prize money from $10,000 to $15,000. As part of the sponsorship deal, the name will be formally changed to the City of Fremantle Hungerford Award from 2020, the 30th anniversary of the award (https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2018/09/04/114612/city-of-fremantle-extends-support-and-increases-prize-money-for-t-a-g-hungerford-award/).

Notes

  • This biennial award honours Western Australian author T. A. G. Hungerford and is for a work of fiction by a novelist or short story writer who has not had major publication.

    From 2010, prizemoney for the award was increased from $6,000 to $12,000 (via a contributuion from writingWA). Also from 2010, the award was extended to include 'creative non-fiction'.

Latest Winners / Recipients

Year: 2020

winner y separately published work icon Skimming Stones Maria Papas , Fremantle : Fremantle Press , 2021 21845892 2021 single work novel

'Grace first met her lover, Nate, as a teenager, their bond forged in the corridors and waiting rooms where siblings of cancer patients sit on the sidelines. Now an adult, for Grace, nursing is a comforting world of science and certainty. But the paediatric ward is also a place of miracles and heartbreak and, when faced with a dramatic emergency, Grace is confronted with memories of her sister’s illness. Heading south to Lake Clifton and the haunts of her childhood, Grace discovers that a stone cast across a lake sends out ripples long after the stone has gone.' (Publication summary)

Year: 2018

winner y separately published work icon Invisible Boys Holden Sheppard , Fremantle : Fremantle Press , 2019 16815108 2019 single work novel young adult

'In a small town, everyone thinks they know you: Charlie is a hardcore rocker, who's not as tough as he looks. Hammer is a footy jock with big AFL dreams, and an even bigger ego. Zeke is a shy over-achiever, never macho enough for his family. But all three boys hide who they really are. When the truth is revealed, will it set them free or blow them apart?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Year: 2016

winner Jay Martin for Learning Polish

Year: 2014

winner y separately published work icon Troppo Madelaine Dickie , Fremantle : Fremantle Press , 2016 9217119 2016 single work novel

'Black magic, big waves and mad Aussie expats.

'In Indonesia, Penny is drifting, partying, hanging out – a thousand miles away from claustrophobic Perth and her career-minded boyfriend. But things take a dangerous turn when she goes to work at Shane’s Sumatran Oasis.

'Caught up in the hostility directed at Shane, and flirting and surfing with the hell-man Matt, Penny soon finds herself swept into a world where two very different cultures must collide.' (Publication summary)

Year: 2012

winner y separately published work icon Weaverfish The Weaver Fish Robert Edeson , 2012 (Manuscript version)x402299 Z1916392 2012 single work novel

Cambridge linguist Edvard Tøssentern, presumed dead, reappears after a balloon crash. When he staggers in from a remote swamp, gravely ill and swollen beyond recognition, his colleagues at the research station are overjoyed. But Edvard’s discovery about a rare giant bird throws them all into the path of an international crime ring. [Publisher's blurb]

Works About this Award

Pole New World for T.A.G. Winner William Yeoman , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The West Australian , 3 November 2016; (p. 23)
Exciting Chapter as Writers Speak Out David Cohen , 2005 single work column
— Appears in: The West Australian , 22 February 2005; (p. 7)
The Write Stuff Pam Casellas , 2003 single work column
— Appears in: The West Australian , 4 January 2003; (p. 7)
Fremantle in the Good Books Diana Giese , 1989 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 6 August 1989; (p. 18)
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