AustLit
Subcategory of New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
Notes
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From 1979 until 1997 this award encompassed children's writing across the broad age range. In 1998 the Patricia Wrightson Prize was established to cover works "written for children" and the Ethel Turner Prize was subsequently awarded for a work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry written for young people of secondary school level.
Latest Winners / Recipients
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Year: 2021
winner y The End of the World Is Bigger Than Love Melbourne : Text Publishing , 2020 17949370 2020 single work novel young adult'IDENTICAL twin sisters Summer and Winter live alone on a remote island, sheltered from a destroyed world. They survive on rations stockpiled by their father and spend their days deep in their mother’s collection of classic literature—until a mysterious stranger upends their carefully constructed reality.
'At first, Edward is a welcome distraction. But who is he really, and why has he come? As love blooms and the world stops spinning, the secrets of the girls’ past begin to unravel and escape is the only option.
'A sumptuously written novel of love and grief; of sisterly affection and the ultimate sacrifice; of technological progress and climate catastrophe; of an enigmatic bear and a talking whale—The End of the World Is Bigger than Love is unlike anything you’ve read before.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
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Year: 2020
winner y Lenny's Book of Everything Sydney : Allen and Unwin , 2018 14228021 2018 single work children's fiction children's'“I knew my brother. I knew when he talked too much about Timothy his imaginary pet eagle. He was scared. 'Whatever you do,' I said to Davey on the walk to school, 'Do not tell people about your eagle. Do not tell Miss Schweitzer about your eagle.' He looked crestfallen. His shoulders slumped. He looked to make sure Timothy hadn't fallen off.”
'Lenny, small and sharp, has a younger brother Davey who won't stop growing—and at seven is as tall as a man. Raised by their single mother, who works two jobs and is made almost entirely out of worries, they have food and a roof over their heads, but not much else. The bright spot every week is the arrival of the latest issue of Burrell's Build-It-at-Home Encyclopedia. Through the encyclopedia, Lenny and Davey experience the wonders of the world—beetles, birds, quasars, quartz—and dream about a life of freedom and adventure, visiting places like Saskatchewan and Yellowknife, and the gleaming lakes of the Northwest Territories. But as her brother's health deteriorates, Lenny comes to accept the inevitable truth; Davey will never make it to Great Bear Lake. An outstanding novel about heartbreak and healing by an award-winning author.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
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Year: 2019
winner y Amelia Westlake Richmond : Hardie Grant Egmont , 2018 13810451 2018 single work novel young adult romance'Harriet Price has the perfect life: she’s a prefect at Rosemead Grammar, she lives in a mansion, and her gorgeous girlfriend is a future prime minister. So when she decides to risk it all by helping bad-girl Will Everhart expose the school’s many ongoing issues, Harriet tells herself it’s because she too is seeking justice. And definitely not because she finds Will oddly fascinating.
'Will Everhart can’t stand posh people like Harriet, but even she has to admit Harriet's ideas are good – and they’ll keep Will from being expelled. That’s why she teams up with Harriet to create Amelia Westlake, a fake student who can take the credit for a series of provocative pranks at their school.
'But the further Will and Harriet’s hoax goes, the harder it is for the girls to remember they’re sworn enemies – and to keep Amelia Westlake’s true identity hidden. As tensions burn throughout the school, how far will they go to keep Amelia Westlake – and their feelings for each other – a secret?' (Source: Publisher's blurb)
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Year: 2018
winner y The Ones That Disappeared Sydney : Hachette Australia , 2017 11412835 2017 single work novel young adult'Around the world, millions of people - including many children - are victims of human trafficking. These modern-day slaves often go unseen even in our own cities and towns, their voices silent and their stories untold. In this incredible book, Zana Fraillon imagines the story of three such children, Esra, Miran and Isa. The result is powerful, heartbreaking and unforgettable.
'Esra, Miran and Isa work for the Snakeskin gang, tending to plants in the dark and airless basement of a house they are not allowed to leave. They’ve been told that they belong to the Snakeskins, but Esra knows that she belongs to no one - and she is determined to find freedom. This is a Skellig for this generation; beautiful, magical and with Zana Fraillon’s incredible talent for combining important global issues with extraordinary storytelling.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
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Year: 2017
winner y One Thousand Hills Parkside : Omnibus Books , 2016 8852809 2016 single work novel young adult'Agabande, Rwanda, April 1994. The children in the village are doing childlike things, playing with toys they make themselves, going to school and church on Sunday. Doing their chores. But there are whispers and looks, and messages of hate on the radio, and people are leaving. Pascal is a good boy, trying his best, but the world he knows is about to change forever. ' (Publication summary)