Skip to content

Tasmanian Literary Awards

2022 Terms and Conditions

Eligibility

  1. Authors and writers must be Tasmanian residents. A Tasmanian resident is defined as someone who has lived in Tasmania for six of the past twelve months.
  2. The author or writer of any nominated work must be living on the date of entry.
  3. Eligible books must have no more than two authors or one author with one illustrator or photographer.
  4. If a work has two authors, one of the authors must be a Tasmanian resident.
  5. It is the responsibility of the nominator to make sure that they have the author’s permission before nominating the work.
  6. Any breach of the Terms and Conditions will render an entry invalid.
  7. Arts Tasmania may request supporting documentation to address issues of eligibility.
  8. The decision about the eligibility of an entry is final.

Copyright

  1. Authors and writers will retain copyright and moral rights to any works entered.

Entry – all prizes

  1. No late entries can be accepted.
  2. Arts Tasmania will send the nominator a confirmation of entry.
  3. Books or other materials provided to Arts Tasmania will not be returned to nominators.
  4. The nominated work must be the author’s own work.
  5. Authors must give Arts Tasmania permission to publish an extract of the work for promotional purposes.

Entry – book prizes

  1. Book prizes comprise the categories of: Premier’s Prize for Fiction, Premier’s Prize for Non-fiction, Minister for the Arts’ Prize for Books for Young Readers and Children, and the Tim Thorne Prize for Poetry.
  2. Entries are open from 2 June 2022 to 13 July 2022.
  3. A book is a paper-based publication with an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) that is available for sale in bookshops.
  4. Entries can be accepted from the publisher or author (the nominator).
  5. The nominated book must have been published in English for the first time between 1 May  2019 and 31 May 2022.
  6. If the book is a collection, individual poems, short stories or essays may have been previously published in journals, newspapers, online publications or other collections.
  7. Books may be entered into only one category.
  8. The nominator must submit four copies of the nominated book:
    1. by hand to Arts Tasmania, 4 Salamanca Place, Hobart, between 9am and 5pm weekdays, no later than 13 July 2022, or
    2. by post to Arts Tasmania, GPO Box 536, Hobart TAS 7001, postmarked on or before 13 July 2022.
  1. If the book is longlisted, nominators will need to send four extra copies of the book to Arts Tasmania for promotional purposes.

Judging

  1. The Tasmanian Literary Awards will be judged by an independent committee of writers, academics, and sector professionals.
  2. The judges will be divided into category panels, with a minimum of three judges for each category.
  3. The judges will longlist up to ten titles each for the book prizes.
  4. The judges will shortlist up to four titles or writers for all the awards.
  5. The judges will select only one winner in each category.
  6. The judges’ decisions are final, and no discussion or correspondence shall be entered into about the judging process.
  7. Feedback on the decisions of the judges will not be available.

Promotion and marketing

  1. Shortlisted authors and writers should make themselves available on request for press interviews and other promotional purposes before and after the announcement of the Tasmanian Literary Awards.
  2. Shortlisted authors and writers should make themselves available for a shortlist announcement event.
  3. Shortlisted authors and writers must make themselves available to participate in the Tasmanian Literary Awards winners’ announcement to be held on the afternoon of 15 December 2022 in Hobart, Tasmania.
  4. When requested, nominators of shortlisted works must provide an excerpt from the nominated work, author biography, author photo and cover photo that Arts Tasmania may publish online and use for other promotional purposes.
  5. Any extracts, images and text provided by the nominators will not be used for any other purpose than to promote the prizes, unless the nominator provides permission.

Prizes

Premier’s Prize for Fiction

  1. The Premier’s Prize for Fiction is for the best work of fiction by a Tasmanian writer.
  2. Novels or collections of short stories are eligible for this prize.
  3. The judges will award the prize to a book deemed to have the highest literary merit.
  4. The winner of the Premier’s Prize for Fiction will receive $25 000.
  5. Entries are open from 2 June 2022 to 13 July 2022.

Premier’s Prize for Non-fiction

  1. This prize is for the best work of non-fiction by a Tasmanian writer.
  2. Long-form non-fiction or collections of non-fiction are eligible for this prize.
  3. The judges will award the prize to a book deemed to have the highest literary merit.
  4. The winner of the Premier’s Prize for Non-fiction will receive $25 000.
  5. Entries are open from 2 June 2022 to 13 July 2022.

Minister for the Arts’ Prize for Books for Young Readers and Children

  1. This prize is awarded to a published work written for children or young adults, in any genre.
  2. The judges will award the prize to a book deemed to have the highest literary merit.
  3. In illustrated works for children, the literary and artistic merit of the work as a whole will be considered by the judges.
  4. The winner of the Minister for the Arts’ Prize for Books for Young Readers and Children will receive $25 000.
  5. Entries are open from 2 June 2022 to 13 July 2022.

Tim Thorne Prize for Poetry

  1. The Tim Thorne Prize for Poetry is awarded to a published book of poetry by a Tasmanian writer.
  2. Poetry collections or a single poem of substantial length published in book form are eligible for this prize.
  3. The judges will award the prize to a book deemed to have the highest literary merit.
  4. The winner of the Tim Thorne Prize for Poetry will receive $25 000.
  5. Entries are open from 2 June 2022 to 13 July 2022.

University of Tasmania Prize

  1. The University of Tasmania Prize is for the best new unpublished literary work by an emerging a Tasmanian writer.
  2. The prize is open to writers of all ages.
  3. Entries for this prize can only be accepted from the writer (the nominator).
  4. Writers entering the University of Tasmania Prize are eligible to enter published and unpublished works in other prize categories.
  5. Nominated works should be full-length works in the form of:
    • A novel
    • A graphic novel
    • A playscript
    • A work for children or young people
    • A work of literary non-fiction
    • A collection of short stories, literary essays or poems.
  6. The writer’s name must not appear in the nominated work or in the name of the digital file.
  7. If submitting a collection, individual poems, short stories or essays may have been previously published in journals, newspapers, online publications or other collections.
  8. The nominated work must not be under contract for publication or production at the time of nomination.
  9. Nominated works to the University of Tasmania Prize should be ready for publication. They should be:
    • edited
    • proof-read
    • typed
    • double-spaced.
  10. The winner of the University of Tasmania Prize will receive $10 000.
  11. Entries open from 2 June 2022 to 27 July 2022.

Margaret Scott Tasmanian Young Writer’s Fellowship

  1. Nominees for the Margaret Scott Tasmanian Young Writer’s Fellowship must be 30 years old or younger on 31 May 2022.
  2. The fellowship is awarded to the writer - it is not awarded to a particular work. It is a stand-alone celebration of a writer’s abilities.
  3. Nominations for the fellowship will only be accepted from writers.
  4. Nominees for the fellowship are eligible to enter works in the other prize categories.
  5. Previous nominees for the Tasmanian Young Writer’s Fellowship may enter the Margaret Scott Tasmanian Young Writer’s Fellowship.
  6. Previous winners of the Tasmanian Young Writer’s Fellowship may not enter the Margaret Scott Tasmanian Young Writer’s Fellowship.
  7. Nominees must upload a ten-page writing sample (in PDF or Word format) to their entry form.
  8. The sample can be of any genre, including:
    • non-fiction or fiction for adults
    • non-fiction or fiction for children and young readers
    • graphic novels
    • poetry
    • play scripts
    • short stories
    • literary essays.
  9. The sample can be one body of work or several different pieces of work.
  10. Writing samples must be typed and double-spaced.
  11. The judges for the Margaret Scott Tasmanian Young Writer’s Fellowship will shortlist up to four writers. They may request the shortlisted writers submit a larger sample of their work so that a winner can be determined.
  12. The winner of the Margaret Scott Tasmanian Young Writer’s Fellowship will receive $5 000.
  13. Entries open from 2 June 2022 to 27 July 2022.

Tasmanian Aboriginal Writer’s Fellowship

  1. Nominations for the Tasmanian Aboriginal Writer’s Fellowship are open to all unpublished and published Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers.
  2. The fellowship is awarded to the writer - it is not awarded to a particular work. It is a stand-alone celebration of a writer’s abilities.
  3. Nominees for the fellowship are eligible to enter works in the other prize categories.
  4. Nominees must upload a ten-page writing sample (in PDF or Word format) to their entry form.
  5. The ten-page writing sample can be of any genre, including:
    • non-fiction or fiction for adults
    • non-fiction or fiction for children
    • graphic novels
    • poetry
    • play scripts
    • short stories
    • literary essays.
  1. The ten-page writing sample can be one body of work or several different pieces of work
  2. Writing samples must be typed and double-spaced.
  3. The judges for the award will shortlist up to four writers. They may request the shortlisted submit a larger sample of their work so that a winner can be determined.
  4. The winner of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Writer’s Fellowship will receive $10 000.
  5. Entries open from 2 June 2022 to 27 July 2022.