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Queensland Literary Awards open for entries to celebrate home grown writing talent

Entries are now open for these prestigious annual awards recognising the literary achievements of published and emerging Queensland and Australian authors.

Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy Leeanne Enoch said a strong focus of the QLA was supporting and promoting the professional success of Queensland’s talented writers and highlighted the importance of innovation in publishing in 2017.

“The QLA play an important role in discovering local writers and sharing their work with an Australian and global readership via print and digital media,” Ms Enoch said.

“State Library of Queensland (SLQ) leads the way in nurturing a reading culture in Queensland — something that is fundamental to an innovative and creative community.

“Through hosting these awards, SLQ is creating opportunities for emerging writers to develop work for publication and secure careers in the creative industries.”

The Queensland Government invests in the creative futures of Queensland’s writers with continuing support for the Awards, including the $25,000 Queensland Premier’s Award for a work of State Significance.

Young writers, 30 years and under, are encouraged to apply for one of two Queensland Premier’s Young Publishers and Writers Awards, each to the value of $12,500.

State Librarian and CEO Vicki McDonald paid tribute to the many organisations that sponsor and champion the Queensland Literary Awards.

“We are grateful to have the continued support of key QLA partners including the Queensland Government, The University of Queensland, Griffith University, the University of Southern Queensland, QUT, Copyright Agency Limited Cultural Fund and The Courier-Mail,” Ms McDonald said.

Nominations for the 2017 awards are being sought in the following categories:

  • Queensland Premier’s Award for a work of State Significance ($25,000)
  • Queensland Premier’s Young Publishers and Writers Awards (two available, $12,500 each)
  • The University of Queensland Fiction Book Award ($10,000)
  • The University of Queensland Non-Fiction Book Award ($10,000)
  • Griffith University Young Adult Book Award ($10,000)
  • Griffith University Children’s Book Award ($10,000)
  • University of Southern Queensland History Book Award ($10,000)
  • University of Southern Queensland Australian Short Story Collection — Steele Rudd Award ($10,000)
  • State Library of Queensland Poetry Collection — Judith Wright Calanthe Award ($10,000)
  • QUT Digital Literature Award ($10,000)
  • Unpublished Indigenous Writer — David Unaipon Award (supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund and UQP) ($10,000)
  • Emerging Queensland Writer — Manuscript Award (supported by the University of Queensland Press) ($10,000)
  • The Courier-Mail People’s Choice Queensland Book of the Year Award ($10,000)

The awards also encompass the Queensland Writers Fellowships, each worth $15,000, awarded to three Queensland writers each year for professional development.

Nominations for the Queensland Literary Awards close at 5pm on Wednesday 31 May 2017. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in October.

For more information about the Queensland Literary Awards and Queensland Writers Fellowships or to download nomination forms, visit qldliteraryawards.org.au.