2021 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards

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Prime Minister's Literary Awards 2021 Winners

The best of Australian literature, history and poetry has been celebrated at the annual Prime Minister’s Literary Awards held at Sydney Opera House and via livestream.

The Awards have been presented in six categories – children's literature, young adult literature, fiction, poetry, non-fiction and Australian history – with a total prize pool of $600,000.

This year, there are seven winners of the Prizes as the Prize for Children’s Literature has was presented to joint winners, Remy Lai and Meg McKinlay.  

“I congratulate this year’s winners and thank them for their contribution” the Prime Minister said.

“In these testing times literature carries even more importance, connecting us to a range of Australian voices and bringing us closer together,” he said.

2021 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards winners

Fiction

The Labyrinth, Amanda Lohrey, Text Publishing

Non-fiction

The Stranger Artist: Life at the Edge of Kimberley Painting, Quentin Sprague, Hardie Grant Publishing

Australian history

People of the River: Lost Worlds of Early Australia, Grace Karskens, Allen & Unwin

Poetry

The Strangest Place, New and Selected Poems, Stephen Edgar, Black Pepper

Children’s literature

Fly on the Wall, Remy Lai, Walker Books Australia

How to Make a Bird, Meg McKinlay, illustrated by Matt Ottley, Walker Books Australia

Young adult literature

Metal Fish, Falling Snow, Cath Moore, Text Publishing

For more information about the winning and shortlisted works, visit the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards website.

Nominations for the 2022 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards will open in early 2022.