South Australian Literary Awards

さうすおーすとらりあぶんがくしょう

A group of literary awards established in 1986 and held biennially. Renamed from Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature in 2024, honoring domestic and international works as well as those related to South Australia across multiple categories.

FictionChildren's literatureYoung Adult FictionJohn Bray Poetry AwardNonfictionPlaywright's AwardUnpublished Manuscript AwardBarbara Hanrahan FellowshipMax Fatchen FellowshipTangkanungku Pintyanthi Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander FellowshipPremier's Award

Established: 1986
Organizer: State Library of South Australia (SLSA: operation) / Government of South Australia (establishment)
Category: Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Selection Method: Open call
Target: Open
Frequency: Biennial (every 2 years)
Application Deadline: around November
Announcement Period: around October
Status: Active

Description

South Australian Literary Awards (formerly: Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature) is a group of biennial literary awards established in 1986 by the South Australian state government, including national and state categories, as well as fellowships for South Australian writers. Since 2016, multiple categories have been established, with a total prize pool of A$167,500 (as of 2024), including the Premier's Award (A$25,000). From 2020, the State Library of South Australia (SLSA) has taken over operations, and from 2024, the name was changed to South Australian Literary Awards, with announcements made at a dedicated ceremony (October) held at the library. Applications are accepted until mid-December of the previous year for each year's awards. The awards are operated with joint funding from the state government and the Libraries Board of South Australia.

Prize

Main Prize: Premier's Award (overall excellence award): A$25,000 (selected from winners of other categories)
Cash Prize: 25,000 AUD

Total prize pool: A$167,500 (as of 2024)
Major national awards (Fiction, Children's Literature, Young Adult Fiction, John Bray Poetry, Non-Fiction): A$15,000 each (as of 2024)
South Australia categories and fellowships: Jill Blewett Playwright's Award, Arts SA / Wakefield Press Unpublished Manuscript Award, Barbara Hanrahan Fellowship, Max Fatchen Fellowship, Tangkanungku Pintyanthi Fellowship, etc.
Fellowships (for South Australian writers) include research grants and creation support

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Application reception	Recruitment and reception by the organizer (SLSA). Entries accepted according to each category's requirements	Unknown	Applications until mid-December of the previous year (per year)
First round selection / Shortlist selection	Judging panels appointed for each category (writers, scholars, critics, etc.)	Unknown	Shortlist announced on the official website (e.g., 2024 shortlist announced on August 9, 2024)
Final selection / Winner determination	Same as above (final judging conducted by category panel or special panel)	Unknown	Winners announced at SLSA ceremony (Mortlock Chamber, October) and SLSA official website. Previously announced at Adelaide Writers' Week (March)
Premier's Award selection	Committee or designated panel selects the best work from winners of other categories	Unknown	Same as above (ceremony and official announcement)

Application reception

Judges Recruitment and reception by the organizer (SLSA). Entries accepted according to each category's requirements

Pass Rate Unknown

Announcement Applications until mid-December of the previous year (per year)

First round selection / Shortlist selection

Judges Judging panels appointed for each category (writers, scholars, critics, etc.)

Pass Rate Unknown

Announcement Shortlist announced on the official website (e.g., 2024 shortlist announced on August 9, 2024)

Final selection / Winner determination

Judges Same as above (final judging conducted by category panel or special panel)

Pass Rate Unknown

Announcement Winners announced at SLSA ceremony (Mortlock Chamber, October) and SLSA official website. Previously announced at Adelaide Writers' Week (March)

Premier's Award selection

Judges Committee or designated panel selects the best work from winners of other categories

Pass Rate Unknown

Announcement Same as above (ceremony and official announcement)

Criteria

Literary value and quality of expression
Originality and structure
Importance of theme and contribution to Australian literature
Category-specific entry requirements (e.g., unpublished manuscript category must be unpublished, Premier's Award selected from other category winners)

Application Tips

Dos

Follow the deadline (mid-December of the previous year)
Check the entry requirements and format for the category in the official guidelines in advance
For unpublished manuscript category, confirm it is unpublished
Prepare all required documents completely (bio, publication info, necessary consents, etc.)

Don''ts

Do not submit after the deadline
Do not send works that do not meet the entry requirements (e.g., already published works to unpublished category)
Do not send incomplete documents

From Judges

Emphasis on the literary completion and originality of the work
Submitting clear and well-organized application materials in accordance with the guidelines leads to evaluation

Related Awards

Adelaide Writers' Week (related event, former announcement venue)
Fellowships and grants from State Library of South Australia
Unpublished manuscript opportunities from Wakefield Press
Other Australian literary awards (e.g., Miles Franklin Prize, Stella Prize, etc.)