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2024 Queensland Literary Awards winners

2024 Queensland Literary Awards winners

Congratulations to this year’s winners!

Queensland Premier's Awards for a Work of State Signiﬁcance

$30,000 | Supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland

WINNER
Edenglassie
by Melissa Lucashenko
University of Queensland Press

FINALISTS
Borderland by Graham Akhurst (UWA Publishing)
Fat Girl Dancing by Kris Kneen (Text Publishing)
Poof by J.M. Tolcher (James Tolcher)
Personal Score: Sport, Culture, Identity by Ellen van Neerven (University of Queensland Press)

Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko sits on a timber bench

The shortlist

Queensland Premier’s Young Publishers and Writers Awards

$12,000 plus career development support to the value of $3,000 each | 2 x Awards | Supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and State Library of Queensland

WINNERS
Gavin Yuan Gao and Myles McGuire

FINALISTS
Wallea Eaglehawk
Alex Philp
Sean West

A photo of Gavin Yuan Gao who wears a black patterned shirt and stands against a white wall

The shortlist

Queensland Writers Fellowships

$20,000 plus career development support to the value of $4,500 each | 3 x Fellowships | Supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and State Library of Queensland

WINNERS
“For the Duration” by Jarad Bruinstroop
“Lazarus; Or, the Whale” by Sarah Kanake
“Mudhunda – Song Country” by Cheryl Leavy

Learn more

A black and white photo of Jarad Bruinstroop who is wearing a jumper and cap against a background of trees

Photo of Sarah Kanake who wears glasses, a white blouse and a black vest

Photo of Cheryl Leavy against an orange background. Cheryl wears glasses and a black shirt.

Glendower Award for an Emerging Queensland Writer

$15,000 plus publication with University of Queensland Press | Supported by Jenny Summerson through the Queensland Library Foundation

WINNER
“Life Drawing”
by Emily Lighezzolo

FINALISTS
“Tender Age” by Myles McGuire
“EndGain” by Nicky Peelgrane
“Lovesick” by Lillian Telford

Emily Lighezzolo stands in a garden; she has on a bright shirt and dark wavy hair

The shortlist

Children’s Book Award

$15,000 | Supported by the Talbot Foundation

WINNER
Sunshine on Vinegar Street
by Karen Comer
Allen & Unwin

FINALISTS
Leaf-light by Trace Balla (Allen & Unwin)
Leo and Ralph by Peter Carnavas (University of Queensland Press)
The Impossible Secret of Lillian Velvet written by Jaclyn Moriarty and illustrated by Kelly Canby (Allen & Unwin)
When You're a Boy by Blake Nuto (Affirm Press)

Sunshine on Vinegar Street by Karen Comer is on a timber bench

The shortlist

Young Adult Book Award

$15,000 | Supported by Susan Hocking and Ian Mackie, and their family

WINNER
The Spider and Her Demons
by sydney khoo
Penguin Random House Australia

FINALISTS
Borderland by Graham Akhurst (UWA Publishing
Smoke & Mirrors by Barry Jonsberg (Allen & Unwin)
We Could Be Something by Will Kostakis (Allen & Unwin)
I Hope This Doesn't Find You by Ann Liang (Penguin Random House Australia)

The Spider and Her Demons by sydney khoo is on a timber bench

The shortlist

Judith Wright Calanthe Award for a Poetry Collection

$17,500 | Supported by Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund

WINNER
Three Books
by LK Holt
Vagabond Press

FINALISTS
Naag Mountain by Manisha Anjali (Giramondo Publishing)
Reliefs by Jarad Bruinstroop (University of Queensland Press)
Vehicular Man by Mitchell Welch (Rabbit Poetry)
That Galloping Horse by Petra White (Shearsman Books)

Three Books by LK Holt is on a timber bench

The shortlist

David Unaipon Award for an Emerging Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Writer

$20,000 plus publication with University of Queensland Press | Supported by Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund

WINNER
“Native Rage”
by Dominic Guerrera

FINALISTS
“Politics” by Chella Goldwin
“River Page” by Lulu Houdini

Black and white photo of Dominic Guerrera standing against a brick wall

The shortlist

Steele Rudd Award for a Short Story Collection

$15,000 | Supported by the Queensland Library Foundation

WINNER
Firelight
by John Morrissey
Text Publishing

FINALISTS
The Terrible Event by David Cohen (Transit Lounge)
Born For You by Magdalena McGuire (Ultimo Press)
Gunflower by Laura Jean McKay (Scribe Publications)
The Gorgon Flower by John Richards (University of Queensland Press)

Firelight by John Morrissey is on a timber bench

The shortlist

The University of Queensland Fiction Book Award

$15,000 | Sponsored by The University of Queensland

WINNER
The Great Undoing
by Sharlene Allsopp
Ultimo Press

FINALISTS
Body Friend by Katherine Brabon (Ultimo Press)
Politica by Yumna Kassab (Ultimo Press)
Ghost Cities by Siang Lu (University of Queensland Press)
Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko (University of Queensland Press)

The Great Undoing by Sharlene Allsopp is on a timber bench

The shortlist

The University of Queensland Non-Fiction Book Award

$15,000 | Sponsored by The University of Queensland

WINNER
Bullet, Paper, Rock: A Memoir of Words and Wars
by Abbas El-Zein
Upswell Publishing

FINALISTS
Deep Water: The World in the Ocean by James Bradley (Hamish Hamilton Penguin Random House)
Monument by Bonny Cassidy (Giramondo Publishing)
The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World by Antony Loewenstein (Scribe Publications)
Personal Score: Sport, Culture, Identity by Ellen van Neerven (University of Queensland Press)

Bullet, Paper, Rock by Abass El-Zein is on a timber bench

The shortlist

The Courier-Mail People’s Choice Queensland Book of the Year Award

$15,000 | Sponsored by The Courier-Mail

WINNER
Breath
by Carly-Jay Metcalfe
University of Queensland Press

FINALISTS

The Great Undoing by Sharlene Allsopp (Ultimo Press)
The Naturalist of Amsterdam by Melissa Ashley (Affirm Press)
The Bird Art of William T Cooper by Wendy Cooper (NLA Publishing)
How to Knit a Human: A Memoir by Anna Jacobson (NewSouth Publishing)
The Remarkable Mrs Reibey by Grantlee Kieza (ABC Books)
Ghost Cities by Siang Lu (University of Queensland Press)
Immaculate by Anna McGahan (Allen & Unwin)