Will Hodgman, Premier Vanessa Goodwin, Minister for the Arts
Booker winner Richard Flanagan makes his acceptance speeh
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is a strong supporter of our creative industries, which continue to create more jobs in our state in a sector that is important to our ongoing economic growth.
Today the Premier Will Hodgman announced the judges for the 2015 Premier’s Literary Prizes.
Eminent historian and author Dr Hamish Maxwell-Stewart, whose book Closing Hell’s Gates (Allen & Unwin, 2008) won the Margaret Scott Prize in 2009, will chair the judging panels.
“The Premier’s Literary Prizes celebrate the richness of the Tasmanian literary sector and acknowledges the influence that Tasmania’s cultural, natural and social environment has on the work of writers,” Mr Hodgman said.
“The prizes provide recognition for both established and emerging Tasmanian writers, as well as acknowledging the increasing influence Tasmania has on authors from elsewhere around Australian and the world.”
Minister for the Arts Vanessa Goodwin said the Premier’s Literary Prizes would recognise Tasmania’s increasing literary influence.
“Tasmania continues to strengthen our reputation as a cultural and artistic hub and we are seeing this result in emerging art and literary talent flourishing,” Dr Goodwin said.
“Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize victory last year shows that there is no limit to what Tasmanian authors can achieve. I hope that this year’s Premier’s Literary Prizes can help to set more Tasmanian authors on the path to national and international acknowledgement.”
On the panel judging the Tasmania Book Prize and the Margaret Scott Prize Dr Maxwell-Stewart will be joined by writer, critic and editor of Island, Matthew Lamb, and award-winning children’s author, Lian Tanner.
Tasmanian Writer’s Centre Director, Chris Gallagher and young-adult fiction author, Kate Gordon will complete the panel judging the University of Tasmania Prize.
The 2015 Premier’s Literary Prizes include:
• $25,000 Tasmania Book Prize – best book with Tasmanian content in any genre.
• $5,000 Margaret Scott Prize – best book by a Tasmanian writer.
• $5,000 University of Tasmania Prize – best unpublished literary work by an emerging Tasmanian writer.
• $5,000 Tasmanian Young Writer’s Fellowship – recognising a young Tasmanian writer aged 35 or under.
Entries for the Premier’s Literary Prizes will close this Friday, 22 May 2015.
Visit www.arts.tas.gov.au/plp for eligibility criteria and online nomination forms.
