Victorian Premier's Literary Awards

{{Short description|Literary prizes in Victoria, Australia}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} The '''Victorian Premier's Literary Awards''' were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry. As of 2013, it is reportedly Australia's richest literary prize with the top winner receiving {{A$}}125,000 and category winners {{A$}}25,000 each.<ref name=steger>{{cite web |url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/liquid-nitrogen-poet-jennifer-maiden-wins-australias-richest-literature-prize-20140128-31kns.html |title=Liquid Nitrogen poet Jennifer Maiden wins Australia's richest literature prize |work=Sydney Morning Herald |first=Jason |last=Steger |author-link=Jason Steger |date=January 28, 2014 |access-date=January 28, 2014}}</ref>

The awards were established in 1985 by John Cain, Premier of Victoria, to mark the centenary of the births of Vance and Nettie Palmer, two of Australia's best-known writers and critics who made significant contributions to Victorian and Australian literary culture.

From 1986 till 1997, the awards were presented as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival. In 1997 their administration was transferred to the State Library of Victoria.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slv.vic.gov.au |title = State Library Victoria}}</ref> By 2004, the total prize money was {{A$}}180,000. In 2011, stewardship was taken over by the Wheeler Centre.

==Winners 2011–present== Beginning in 2011,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://meanjin.com.au/blog/post/victorian-premiers-literary-awards-to-be-the-richest-in-australia/ |title=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards to be the Richest in Australia |work=Meanjin |first=Zora |last=Sanders |date=April 21, 2011 |access-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref> the awards were restructured into five categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Drama and Young People's. The winner of each receives $25,000. Of those five winners, one is chosen as the overall winner of the Victorian Prize for Literature and receives an additional $100,000. There are two other categories with different prize amounts: an honorary People's Choice Award voted on by readers, and an Unpublished Manuscript Award with a prize amount of $15,000.<ref name=steger/> In 2022 an Award for Children's Literature valued at $25,000 was added, with entries being accepted in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-10-24 |title=VPLAs add children's award |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2022/10/24/222297/vplas-add-childrens-award/ |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=Books+Publishing |language=en-AU}}</ref> Another category was added in 2024, the John Clarke Prize for Humour Writing, honouring satirist John Clarke, for fiction, nonfiction and poetry.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-16 |title=New prize for humour writing added to VPLAs |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2024/09/16/258522/new-prize-for-humour-writing-added-to-vplas/ |access-date=2024-09-19 |publisher=Books+Publishing}}</ref>

Shortlists are maintained in the main article for each category.

===Victorian Prize for Literature=== {| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" !Year !Author !Title !Ref. |- ! 2011 | {{sortname|Kim|Scott}} | ''That Deadman Dance'' | <ref name="winners2011">{{cite web|title="Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2011" |publisher= The Wheeler Centre|url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards/past-awards/2011-victorian-premier-s-literary-awards|access-date= 26 May 2024}}</ref> |- ! 2012 | {{sortname|Bill|Gammage}} | ''{{sortname|last=Biggest Estate on Earth|first=The|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="winners2012">{{cite web|title="Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2012" |publisher= The Wheeler Centre|url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards/past-awards/2012-victorian-premier-s-literary-awards|access-date= 26 May 2024}}</ref> |- ! 2013 | colspan="3" |Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. |- ! 2014 | {{sortname|Jennifer|Maiden}} | ''Liquid Nitrogen'' | <ref name="winners2014">{{cite web |date=2014 |title=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2014 |url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards/past-awards/2014-victorian-premier-s-literary-awards |access-date=26 May 2024 |work=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards}}</ref> |- !2015 |{{sortname|Alan|Atkinson|dab=historian}} |''{{sortname|last=Europeans in Australia: Volume Three: Nation|first=The|nolink=1}}'' |<ref name="winners2015">{{cite web |date=2015 |title=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2015 |url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards/past-awards/2015-victorian-premier-s-literary-awards |access-date=26 May 2024 |work=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards}}</ref> |- !2016 |{{sortname|Mary Anne|Butler}} |''Broken'' |<ref name="winners2016">{{cite web |date=2016 |title=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2016 |url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards/past-awards/2016-victorian-premier-s-literary-awards |access-date=26 May 2024 |work=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards}}</ref> |- !2017 |{{sortname|Leah|Purcell}} |''The Drover's Wife'' |<ref name="winners2017">{{cite web |date=2017 |title=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2017 |url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards/past-awards/2017-victorian-premier-s-literary-awards |access-date=26 May 2024 |work=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards}}</ref> |- !2018 |{{sortname|Sarah|Krasnostein}} |''{{sortname|The|Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in Death, Decay & Disaster|The Trauma Cleaner}}'' |<ref name="winners2018">{{cite web |date=2018 |title=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2018 |url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards/past-awards/2018-victorian-premier-s-literary-awards|access-date=26 May 2024 |work=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards}}</ref> |- !2019 |{{sortname|Behrouz|Boochani}} |''No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison'' |<ref name="winners2019">{{cite web |date=2019 |title=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2019 |url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards/past-awards/2019-victorian-premier-s-literary-awards|access-date=26 May 2024 |work=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards}}</ref> |- !2020 |{{sortname|S.|Shakthidharan}} with Eamon Flack |''Counting and Cracking'' |<ref name="winners2020">{{cite web |date=2020 |title=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2020 |url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards/past-awards/2020-victorian-premier-s-literary-awards |access-date=26 May 2024 |work=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards}}</ref> |- !2021 |{{sortname|Laura Jean|McKay}} |{{Sort|Animals in That Country|''The Animals in That Country''}} |<ref name="winners2021">{{cite web |date=2021 |title=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2021 |url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards/past-awards/2021-victorian-premier-s-literary-awards |access-date=26 May 2024 |work=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards}}</ref> |- !2022 |{{sortname|Veronica|Gorrie}} |''Black and Blue: A Memoir of Racism and Resilience'' |<ref name="winners2022">{{cite web |date=2022 |title=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2022 |url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards/past-awards/2022-victorian-premier-s-literary-awards |access-date=26 May 2024 |work=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards}}</ref> |- !2023 |{{sortname|Jessica|Au}} |''Cold Enough for Snow'' |<ref name="winners2023">{{cite web |date=2023 |title=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2023 |url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards/past-awards/2023-victorian-premier-s-literary-awards |access-date=26 May 2024 |work=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards}}</ref> |- !2024 |{{sortname|Grace|Yee}} |''Chinese Fish'' |<ref name="winners2024">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards/past-awards/2024-victorian-premier-s-literary-awards|title=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2024|publisher=Wheeler Centre|access-date=2 February 2024}}</ref> |- !2025 |{{Sortname|Wanda|Gibson|nolink=1}} |''Three Dresses'' |<ref name="winners2025">{{Cite news |last=Story |first=Hannah |date=2025-03-19 |title=Growing up, Wanda got old dresses for Xmas. Her book about it just won $125k |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-19/wanda-gibson-victorian-prize-for-literature-three-dresses/105053764 |access-date=2025-03-19 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref> |- !2026 |{{Sortname|Evelyn|Araluen}} |''The Rot'' |<ref name="winners2026">{{Cite news |last=Nothover |first=Kylie |date=25 February 2026 |title=‘So many stories to tell’: First Nations poet wins prestigious literary prize |url=https://www.theage.com.au/culture/books/so-many-stories-to-tell-first-nations-poet-wins-prestigious-literary-prize-20260225-p5o5bz.html |access-date=26 February 2026 |work=The Age |language=en-AU}}</ref> |}

===Fiction=== {{Main|Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction}}

For winners from 1985 to 2010, see Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction.

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" !Year !Author !Title !Ref. |- ! 2011 |{{sortname|Kim|Scott}} |''That Deadman Dance'' | <ref name="winners2011" /> |- ! 2012 | {{sortname|Gillian|Mears}} | ''Foal's Bread'' | <ref name="winners2012" /> |- ! 2013 | colspan="3" |Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. |- ! 2014 | {{sortname|Alex|Miller|dab=writer}} | ''Coal Creek'' | <ref name="winners2014" /> |- ! 2015 |{{sortname|Rohan|Wilson}} |''To Name Those Lost'' | <ref name="winners2015" /> |- ! 2016 |{{sortname|Mireille|Juchau}} |''The World Without Us'' | <ref name="winners2016" /> |- ! 2017 |{{sortname|Georgia|Blain}} |''Between a Wolf and a Dog'' | <ref name="winners2017" /> |- ! 2018 |{{sortname|Melanie|Cheng}} |''Australia Day'' | <ref name="winners2018" /> |- ! 2019 |{{sortname|Elise|Valmorbida}} |''The Madonna of the Mountains'' | <ref name="winners2019" /> |- ! 2020 |{{sortname|Christos|Tsiolkas}} |''Damascus'' | <ref name="winners2020" /> |- ! 2021 |{{sortname|Laura Jean|McKay}} |{{Sort|Animals in That Country|''The Animals in That Country''}} | <ref name="winners2021" /> |- ! 2022 | Melissa Manning |''Smokehouse'' | <ref name="winners2022" /> |- ! 2023 |{{sortname|Jessica|Au}} |''Cold Enough for Snow'' | <ref name="winners2023" /> |- ! 2024 | {{sortname|Melissa|Lucashenko}} | ''Edenglassie'' | <ref name="winners2024"/> |- ! 2025 | {{Sortname|Fiona|McFarlane}} | ''Highway 13'' | <ref name="winners2025" /> |- ! 2026 | {{Sortname|Omar|Musa}} | ''Fierceland'' | <ref name="winners2026" /> |}

===Nonfiction=== {{Main|Victorian Premier's Prize for Nonfiction}}

For winners from 1985 to 2010, see the Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction.

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" !Year !Author !Title !Ref. |- ! 2011 |{{sortname|Mark|McKenna|dab=historian}} |''An Eye for Eternity: The Life Of Manning Clark'' | <ref name="winners2011" /> |- ! 2012 | {{sortname|Bill|Gammage}} | ''{{sortname|last=Biggest Estate on Earth|first=The|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="winners2012" /> |- ! 2013 | colspan="3" |Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. |- ! 2014 |{{sortname|Henry|Reynolds|dab=historian}} |''Forgotten War'' | <ref name="winners2014" /> |- ! 2015 |{{sortname|Alan|Atkinson|dab=historian}} |''{{sortname|last=Europeans in Australia: Volume Three: Nation|first=The|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="winners2015" /> |- ! 2016 |{{sortname|Gerald|Murnane}} |''Something for the Pain'' | <ref name="winners2016" /> |- ! 2017 |{{sortname|Madeline|Gleeson}} |''Offshore: Behind the Wire on Manus'' | <ref name="winners2017" /> |- ! 2018 |{{sortname|Sarah|Krasnostein}} |''{{sortname|The|Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in Death, Decay & Disaster|The Trauma Cleaner}}'' | <ref name="winners2018" /> |- ! 2019 |{{sortname|Behrouz|Boochani}} |''No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison'' | <ref name="winners2019" /> |- ! 202o |{{sortname|Christina|Thompson}} |''Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia'' | <ref name="winners2020" /> |- ! 2021 |{{sortname|Paddy|Manning}} |''Body Count: How Climate Change Is Killing Us'' | <ref name="winners2021" /> |- ! 2022 |{{sortname|Amani|Haydar}} |''{{sortname|last=Mother Wound|first=The|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="winners2022" /> |- ! 2023 |{{sortname|Eda|Gunaydin}} |''Root & Branch: Essays on Inheritance'' | <ref name="winners2023" /> |- ! 2024 |{{sortname|Ellen|van Neerven}} |''Personal Score: Sport, Culture, Identity'' | <ref name="winners2024"/> |- ! 2025 |Susan Hampton |''Anything Can Happen'' |<ref name="winners2025" /> |- ! 2026 |Micaela Sahhar |''Find Me at the Jaffa Gate: An Encyclopaedia of a Palestinian Family'' |<ref name="winners2026" /> |}

===Poetry=== {{Main|Victorian Premier's Prize for Poetry}}

For winners from 1985 to 2010, see the C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry.

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" !Year !Author !Title !Ref. |- ! 2011 |{{sortname|Cate|Kennedy}} |''{{sortname|last=Taste of River Water|first=The|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="winners2011" /> |- ! 2012 | {{sortname|John|Kinsella|dab=poet}} | ''Armour'' | <ref name="winners2012" /> |- ! 2013 | colspan="3" |Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. |- ! 2014 |{{sortname|Jennifer|Maiden}} |''Liquid Nitrogen'' | <ref name="winners2014" /> |- ! 2015 |{{sortname|Jill|Jones|dab=poet}} |''{{sortname|last=Beautiful Anxiety|first=The|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="winners2015" /> |- ! 2016 |{{sortname|Alan|Loney}} |''Crankhandle'' | <ref name="winners2018" /> |- ! 2017 |{{sortname|Maxine Beneba|Clarke}} |''Carrying the World'' | <ref name="winners2017" /> |- ! 2018 |{{sortname|Bella|Li}} |''Argosy'' | <ref name="winners2018" /> |- ! 2019 |{{sortname|Kate|Lilley}} |''Tilt'' | <ref name="winners2019" /> |- ! 2020 |{{sortname|Charmaine|Papertalk Green}} |''Nganajungu Yagu'' | <ref name="winners2020" /> |- ! 2021 |{{sortname|David|Stavanger}} |''Case Notes'' | <ref name="winners2021" /> |- ! 2022 |{{sortname|Maria|Takolander}} |''Trigger Warning'' | <ref name="winners2022" /> |- ! 2023 |{{sortname|Gavin Yuan|Gao}} |''At the Altar of Touch'' | <ref name="winners2023" /> |- ! 2024 |{{sortname|Grace|Yee}} |''Chinese Fish'' | <ref name="winners2024"/> |- ! 2025 |{{Sortname|Jeanine|Leane}} |''Gawimarra: Gathering'' |<ref name="winners2025" /> |- ! 2026 | {{Sortname|Eunice|Andrada}} | ''KONTRA'' | <ref name="winners2026" /> |}

===Writing for Young Adults=== {{Main|Victorian Premier's Prize for Writing for Young Adults}}

For winners from 1985 to 2010, see the Victorian Premier's Prize for Young Adult Fiction.

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" !Year !Author !Title !Ref. |- ! 2011 |{{sortname|Cassandra|Golds}} |''{{sortname|last=Three Loves of Persimmon|first=The|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="winners2011" /> |- ! 2012 | {{sortname|John|Larkin|dab=author}} | ''{{sortname|last=Shadow Girl|first=The|nolink=}}'' | <ref name="winners2012" /> |- ! 2013 | colspan="3" |Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. |- ! 2014 |{{sortname|Barry|Jonsberg}} |''My Life as an Alphabet'' | <ref name="winners2014" /> |- ! 2015 |{{sortname|Claire|Zorn}} |''{{sortname|last=Protected|first=The|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="winners2015" /> |- ! 2016 |{{sortname|Marlee Jane|Ward}} |''Welcome to Orphancorp'' | <ref name="winners2016" /> |- ! 2017 |{{sortname|Randa|Abdel-Fattah}} |''When Michael met Mina'' | <ref name="winners2017" /> |- ! 2018 |{{sortname|Demet|Divaroren}} |''Living on Hope Street'' | <ref name="winners2018" /> |- ! 2019 |{{sortname|Ambelin|Kwaymullina}} and Ezekiel Kwaymullina |''Catching Teller Crow'' | <ref name="winners2019" /> |- ! 2020 |{{sortname|Helena|Fox}} |''How It Feels to Float'' | <ref name="winners2020" /> |- ! 2021 |{{sortname|Cath|Moore}} |''Metal Fish, Falling Snow'' | <ref name="winners2021" /> |- ! 2022 |{{sortname|Felicity|Castagna}} |''Girls in Boys' Cars'' | <ref name="winners2022" /> |- ! 2023 | {{sortname|Kate|Murray|dab=author}} | ''We Who Hunt the Hollow'' | <ref name="winners2023" /> |- ! 2024 | {{sortname|Lili|Wilkinson}} | ''A Hunger of Thorns'' | <ref name="winners2024"/> |- ! 2025 | {{Sortname|Emma|Lord|dab=Australian writer}} | ''Anomaly'' | <ref name="winners2025" /> |- ! 2026 | {{Sortname|Margot|McGovern}} | ''This Stays Between Us'' | <ref name="winners2026" /> |}

===Drama=== {{Main|Victorian Premier's Prize for Drama}}

For winners from 1985 to 2010, see the Louis Esson Prize for Drama.

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" !Year !Author !Title ! |- ! 2011 |{{sortname|Patricia|Cornelius}} |''Do not go gentle…'' | <ref name="winners2011" /> |- ! 2012 | {{sortname|Lally|Katz}} | ''{{sortname|last=Golem Story|first=A|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="winners2012" /> |- ! 2013 | colspan="3" |Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. |- ! 2014 |{{sortname|Patricia|Cornelius}} |''Savages'' | <ref name="winners2014" /> |- ! 2015 |{{sortname|Angus|Cerini}} |''Resplendence'' | <ref name="winners2015" /> |- ! 2016 |{{sortname|Mary Anne|Butler}} |''Broken'' | <ref name="winners2016" /> |- ! 2017 |{{sortname|Leah|Purcell}} | ''The Drover's Wife'' | <ref name="winners2017" /> |- ! 2018 |{{sortname|Michele|Lee|dab=playwright}} |''Rice'' | <ref name="winners2018" /> |- ! 2019 |{{sortname|Kendall|Feaver}} |''{{sortname|last=Almighty Sometimes|first=The|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="winners2019" /> |- ! 2020 |{{sortname|S.|Shakthidharan}} with Eamon Flack |''Counting and Cracking'' | <ref name="winners2020" /> |- ! 2021 |{{sortname|Angus|Cerini}} |''Wonnangatta'' | <ref name="winners2021" /> |- ! 2022 |{{sortname|Dylan|Van Den Berg}} |''Milk'' | <ref name="winners2022" /> |- ! 2023 |{{sortname|John|Harvey|dab=playwright}} |''The Return'' | <ref name="winners2023" /> |- ! 2024 | {{sortname|S.|Shakthidharan}} and Eamon Flack | ''The Jungle and the Sea'' | <ref name="winners2024"/> |- ! 2025 |{{Sortname|Nathan|Maynard}} |''37'' |<ref name="winners2025" /> |- ! 2026 | {{Sortname|Emilie|Collyer}} | ''Super'' | <ref name="winners2026" /> |}

===People's Choice Award=== {| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" !Year !Author !Title !Ref. |- ! 2011 |{{sortname|Anna|Krien}} |''Into The Woods: The Battle for Tasmania's Forests'' | <ref name="winners2011" /> |- ! 2012 | {{sortname|Aidan|Fennessy}} | ''National Interest'' | <ref name="winners2012" /> |- ! 2013 | colspan="3" |Presented in January 2014 (see 2014 entry) for books published in 2013. Previous awards were based on the year of publication. |- ! 2014 |{{sortname|Hannah|Kent}} |''Burial Rites'' | <ref name="winners2014" /> |- ! 2015 |{{sortname|Tim|Low}} |''Where Song Began'' | <ref name="winners2015" /> |- ! 2016 |{{sortname|Miles|Allinson}} |''Fever of Animals'' | <ref name="winners2016" /> |- ! 2017 |{{sortname|Randa|Abdel-Fattah}} |''When Michael met Mina'' | <ref name="winners2017" /> |- ! 2018 |{{sortname|Alison|Evans|Alison Evans (author)}} |''Ida'' | <ref name="winners2018" /> |- ! 2019 |{{sortname|Bri|Lee}} |''Eggshell Skull'' | <ref name="winners2019" /> |- ! 2020 |{{sortname|Chloe|Higgins}} |''The Girls'' | <ref name="winners2020" /> |- ! 2021 |{{sortname|Louise|Milligan}} |''Witness'' | <ref name="winners2021" /> |- ! 2022 |{{sortname|Rebecca|Lim|dab=author}} |''Tiger Daughter'' | <ref name="winners2022" /> |- ! 2023 |{{sortname|Karlie|Noon}} and Krystal De Napoli |''Astronomy: Sky Country'' | <ref name="winners2023" /> |- ! 2024 |{{sortname|Antony|Loewenstein}} |''The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World'' | <ref name="winners2024"/> |- ! 2025 |{{sortname|Robert|Skinner|dab=writer}} |''I'd Rather Not'' | <ref name="winners2025" /> |- ! 2026 |{{sortname|Randa|Abdel-Fattah}} |''Discipline'' | <ref name="winners2026" /><ref>{{cite web | title='Sweet victory against Premiers': Abdel-Fattah wins Vic literary award | first= Helen| last= Karakulak | website=InDaily | date=26 February 2026 | url=https://www.indailysa.com.au/news/just-in/2026/02/26/sweet-victory-against-premiers-abdel-fattah-wins-vic-literary-award | access-date=26 February 2026}}</ref>

|}

===Unpublished Manuscript=== {{Main|Victorian Premier's Unpublished Manuscript Award}}

For winners from 2003 to 2010, see the main article. No award was presented in 2011.

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" !Year !Author !Title !Ref. |- ! 2012 |{{sortname|Graeme|Simsion}} |{{Sort|Rosie Project|''The Rosie Project''}} |<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2013-06-12 |title=The Rosie Project |url=https://www.shelf-awareness.com/max-issue.html?issue=56 |access-date=2022-07-31 |website=Shelf Awareness}}</ref> |- !2013 |{{sortname|Maxine Beneba|Clarke}} |''Foreign Soil'' | |- !2014 |{{sortname|Miles|Allinson}} |''Fever of Animals'' | |- !2015 |{{sortname|Jane|Harper}} |''{{sortname|last=Dry|first=The|nolink=1}}'' | <ref name="winners2015" /> |- !2016 |{{sortname|Melanie|Cheng}} |''Australia Day'' | <ref name="winners2016" /> |- !2017 |{{sortname|Christian|White}} |''Decay Theory'' | <ref name="winners2017" /> |- !2019 |{{sortname|Victoria|Hannan}} |''Kokomo'' | <ref name="winners2019" /> |- !2020 |{{sortname|Rhett|David}} |''Hovering'' | <ref name="winners2020" /> |- !2021 |{{sortname|André|Dao}} |''Anam'' | <ref name="winners2021" /> |- !2022 |{{sortname|Keshe|Chow}} |''Fauna of Mirrors'' | <ref name="winners2022" /> |- !2023 |{{sortname|Mick|Cummins}} |''One Divine Night'' | <ref name="winners2023" /> |- !2024 |{{sortname|Rachel|Morton}} |''Panajachel'' |<ref name="winners2024"/> |- ! 2025 |{{Sortname|Chris|Ames}} |''I Made This Just for You'' |<ref name="winners2025" /> |- !2026 |{{Sortname|Charlotte|Guest|dab=writer}} |''The Kookaburra'' |<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cain |first=Sian |date=2026-02-25 |title=Evelyn Araluen wins $125,000 for ‘politically uncompromising’ poetry at Victorian premier’s literary awards |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/feb/25/evelyn-araluen-wins-victorian-premiers-literary-awards-2026 |access-date=2026-02-25 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> |}

===Indigenous Writing=== {{Main|Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing}}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" !Year !Author !Title !Ref. |- ! 2004 |{{sortname|Vivienne|Cleven}} |''Her Sister's Eye'' |'''''<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last= |title=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards – Prize for Indigenous Writing |url=https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/v1284 |access-date=2021-02-25 |website=AustLit: Discover Australian Stories |language=en}}</ref>''''' |- ! 2006 |{{sortname|Tara June|Winch}} |''Swallow the Air'' |'''''<ref name=":5" />''''' |- ! 2008 |{{sortname|Yvette|Holt}} |''Anonymous Premonition'' |'''''<ref name=":5" />''''' |- ! 2010 |{{sortname|Larissa|Behrendt}} |''Legacy'' |'''''<ref name=":5" />''''' |- ! 2012 | {{sortname|Anita|Heiss}} | ''Am I Black Enough For You?'' | ''<ref name=":4">{{cite web |date=5 September 2012 |title=Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing: Winner and Shortlist Announced |url=http://wheelercentre.com/dailies/post/270d65202728/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223033422/http://wheelercentre.com/dailies/post/270d65202728/ |archive-date=23 February 2014 |publisher=Wheeler Centre |accessdate=14 February 2014}}</ref>'' |- ! 2014 |{{sortname|Melissa|Lucashenko}} |''Mullumbimby'' |<ref>{{cite web |title=Congratulations to Melissa Lucashenko: Victorian Premier's Literary Awards |url=https://griffithreview.com/congratulations-to-melissa-lucashenko/ |first=Susan |last=Hornbeck |date=4 September 2014 |access-date=10 March 2019 |website=Griffith Review |archive-date=4 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151204054147/https://griffithreview.com/congratulations-to-melissa-lucashenko/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> |- ! 2016 |{{sortname|Tony|Birch}} |''Ghost River'' |<ref name="2017 awards">{{cite web |title=Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2017 |url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/projects/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards-2017 |access-date=1 May 2018 |website=The Wheeler Centre |archive-date=28 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428185650/https://www.wheelercentre.com/projects/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards-2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |- ! 2019 |{{sortname|Kim|Scott}} |''Taboo'' | <ref name="winners2019" /> |- ! 2021 |{{sortname|Archie|Roach}} |''Tell Me Why: The Story of My Life and My Music'' | <ref name="winners2021" /> |- ! 2022 |{{sortname|Veronica|Gorrie}} |''Black and Blue: A Memoir of Racism and Resilience'' | <ref name="winners2022" /> |- ! 2023 |{{sortname|Lystra|Rose}} |''The Upwelling'' | <ref name="winners2023" /> |- ! 2024 |{{sortname|Daniel|Browning}} |''Close to the Subject: Selected Works'' | <ref name="winners2024" /> |- ! 2025 |{{Sortname|Amy|McQuire}} |''Black Witness'' |<ref name="winners2025" /> |- !2026 |{{Sortname|Evelyn|Araluen}} |''The Rot'' |<ref name="winners2026" /> |}

===Children's Literature=== {| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" !Year !Author !Title !Ref. |- ! 2024 |{{sortname|Remy|Lai}} |''Ghost Book'' | <ref name="winners2024"/> |- ! 2025 |{{Sortname|Wanda|Gibson}} |''Three Dresses'' |<ref name="winners2025" /> |- !2026 |{{Sortname|Zeno|Sworder}} |''Once I Was a Giant'' |<ref name="winners2026" /> |}

===John Clarke Prize for Humour Writing=== {| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" !Year !Author !Title !Ref. |- ! 2025 |{{Sortname|Robert|Skinner|dab=writer}} |''I'd Rather Not'' |<ref name="winners2025" /> |}

==Defunct award categories (1985–2010)== From 1985 to 2010 prizes were offered in some or all of the below categories.

* Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction * Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction * Prize for Young Adult Fiction * C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry * Louis Esson Prize for Drama * Alfred Deakin Prize for an Essay Advancing Public Debate (after Alfred Deakin) * Prize for Science Writing (biennial) * Village Roadshow Prize for Screen Writing * Grollo Ruzzene Foundation Prize for Writing about Italians in Australia * John Curtin Prize for Journalism * Prize for Best Music Theatre Script * Prize for Indigenous Writing (Biennial) * Prize for a First Book of History (Biennial) * Dinny O'Hearn Prize for Literary Translation (Triennial) * A.A. Phillips Prize for Australian Studies * Alan Marshall Prize for Children's Literature * Prize for First Fiction

==See also== * Victorian Community History Awards * Wheeler Centre

==Notes== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/programs/literary/pla/index.html State Library of Victoria] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050615111445/http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/programs/literary/pla/index.html |date=15 June 2005 }}

<!--Please add new categories for this award in the above master category, not here. -->{{Victorian Premier's Literary Awards}} Category:Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Category:Australian literary awards Category:Australian non-fiction book awards Category:Australian history awards Category:Awards established in 1985 Category:1985 establishments in Australia