Melbourne Prize for Literature 2018: Now Open

Valued at more than $100,000, the Melbourne Prize for Literature 2018 and Awards provides significant opportunities to reward and recognise published Victorian authors across all career stages and promote Melbourne as a lively UNESCO City of Literature. This year marks the 14th year of the annual Melbourne Prize, which runs in a three-year cycle to benefit and demonstrate the importance of the creative sectors in Victoria in literature, music and urban sculpture. This year’s program will offer three award categories, as well as a public voting award. An exciting new award; a residency at the Norma Redpath Studio in Carlton including $7,500 cash and travel has been added to this year’s program.

The Prize and awards offered this year are:

The $60,000 Melbourne Prize for Literature 2018 is awarded to a Victorian author whose body of published work has made an outstanding contribution to Australian literature, as well as to cultural and intellectual life. The author’s work can include all genres and forms for example fiction, non-fiction, essays, plays, screenplays and poetry. The Melbourne Prize is supported by Principal Partner, The Vera Moore Foundation and The Tallis Foundation.

The $30,000 Best Writing Award 2018 is awarded for a published work of outstanding clarity, originality, and creativity by a Victorian writer. The work can be any genre, for example fiction, non-fiction, essays, plays, screenplays and poetry, and published between 2015 -18. This Award is supported by its sole patron, The Robert Salzer Foundation.

The new Readings Residency Award 2018 will be awarded to an early career Victorian author. This award includes a residency at the Norma Redpath Studio at The University of Melbourne in Carlton, an affiliation with the School of Culture and Communication in the Faculty of Arts, plus $5,000 cash courtesy of Readings and a $2,500 Qantas travel voucher.

The Civic Choice Award is valued at $4000 and is supported by Hardie Grant Books. A public exhibition of the finalists in the Melbourne Prize for Literature 2018, the Best Writing Award 2018 and the new Readings Residency Award 2018 will be held at Federation Square between 12 and 26 November 2018. This Award will be given to the finalist, from either category, with the highest number of public votes. Votes can be made using the online Voting Form, which will be available at melbourneprize.org from the announcement of finalists on 12 September to the close of the Federation Square exhibition on 26 November.

The 2018 judges comprise some of Australia’s most respected literary identities, including esteemed authors Andrea Goldsmith and Nam Le; Marieke Hardy, Artistic Director, Melbourne Writers Festival; Khalid Warsame, Writer and Creative Producer; and Michael Williams, Director, The Wheeler Centre.