Victorian Premier's Literary Awards

びくとりあしゅうしゅしょうぶんがくしょう

One of Australia's major literary awards established by the state of Victoria in 1975 (founded 1985). Selects winners in multiple categories and an overall prize each year.

FictionNonfictionPoetryDramaWriting for Young AdultsChildren's literatureIndigenous WritingUnpublished ManuscriptPeople's Choice AwardJohn Clarke Prize for Humour Writing

Established: 1985
Organizer: Wheeler Centre (operator), Victorian Government (sponsor). Managed by State Library of Victoria until 1997
Category: Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Selection Method: Open call
Target: Open
Frequency: 1 per year
Announcement Period: around February
Status: Active

Description

Victorian Premier's Literary Awards (VPLAs) was established in 1985 by the Victorian Government to recognize contemporary writing and raise awareness of Australia's publishing industry. The State Library of Victoria took over management in 1997, and the Wheeler Centre has handled operations since 2011. The 2011 reorganization introduced main categories (Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Drama, Young People's), with each category winner receiving A$25,000. One winner from the five categories is selected for the Victorian Prize for Literature (overall prize), receiving an additional A$100,000 (total A$125,000). Recent expansions include the Children's Literature Prize (added 2022; entries accepted from 2023) and the John Clarke Prize for Humour Writing (added 2024).

Prize

Main Prize: Each category winner receives A$25,000. One of the five category winners is selected for the Victorian Prize for Literature (overall prize) and receives an additional A$100,000 (overall winner total A$125,000). Unpublished Manuscript Award: A$15,000. Children's Literature Award: A$25,000. People's Choice: honorary award by reader vote.
Cash Prize: 125,000 AUD

Category winners: A$25,000 each
Unpublished Manuscript Award: A$15,000
Children's Literature Award: A$25,000 (added 2022; entries accepted 2023)
People's Choice Award: honorary, reader-voted
John Clarke Prize for Humour Writing: category added 2024

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Submissions / Eligibility check	Entries are submitted by publishers or authors. The secretariat (Wheeler Centre, etc.) handles reception and eligibility checks.	—	After eligibility check, proceed to shortlist creation process.
Shortlist (部門ごと)	Judging panels appointed for each category select the shortlist.	—	Shortlists for each category are published in the relevant category articles or official announcements (shortlists maintained in each category's main article).
Category winners	Each category's judges conduct final selection and determine category winners (prize money A$25,000).	—	Category winners are officially announced.
Overall Victorian Prize for Literature selection	Selects the overall prize winner from the winners of the five main categories (by the same judging panels or special panel in some cases).	—	Overall prize winner is officially announced with additional prize A$100,000 (total A$125,000).

Submissions / Eligibility check

Judges Entries are submitted by publishers or authors. The secretariat (Wheeler Centre, etc.) handles reception and eligibility checks.

Announcement After eligibility check, proceed to shortlist creation process.

Shortlist (部門ごと)

Judges Judging panels appointed for each category select the shortlist.

Announcement Shortlists for each category are published in the relevant category articles or official announcements (shortlists maintained in each category's main article).

Category winners

Judges Each category's judges conduct final selection and determine category winners (prize money A$25,000).

Announcement Category winners are officially announced.

Overall Victorian Prize for Literature selection

Judges Selects the overall prize winner from the winners of the five main categories (by the same judging panels or special panel in some cases).

Announcement Overall prize winner is officially announced with additional prize A$100,000 (total A$125,000).

Criteria

Literary merit (quality of style and expression)
Originality and innovation
Structure and completeness of narrative/argument
For nonfiction/research: quality and substantiation of investigation
Cultural and social significance of the work and contribution to Australian literature

Application Tips

Dos

Always check the official entry requirements and regulations first (eligibility, publication year requirements, etc.)
Follow the submission format (file format, page settings, formatting)
Set margins, page numbers, line spacing properly and proofread thoroughly
For published works, clearly indicate publication details; for unpublished works, submit according to specified requirements
Observe deadlines (administration reception times may be strict)

Don''ts

Do not submit with formatting that disregards the regulations
Do not submit with unclear rights or copyright information
Do not send without necessary documents or explanations
Do not make inappropriate duplicate entries across multiple categories (check regulations)

From Judges

Polish the manuscript to a high level of completion and proofread for typos and formatting
Originality and a clear perspective are highly valued
Tailor to category-specific requirements (e.g., target age for YA or children's literature)
For nonfiction, clearly indicate sources and ensure research reliability

Related Awards

Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction (defunct / predecessor category)
Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction (defunct / predecessor category)
Victorian Community History Awards
Other Wheeler Centre programs
Major awards in each category (Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Drama, etc.)