Readings Prize

The Readings Prize is an Australian literary award for fiction by emerging authors. Held by Melbourne independent bookseller Readings since 2014, the prizes are awarded in three categories: Readings New Australian Fiction Prize, Readings Children's Prize, Readings Young Adult Book Prize, as well as the Gab Williams Prize, which is chosen from the Young Adult shortlist.

History

The Readings Prize is run by Readings bookstores, an independent Melbourne bookseller with eight stores, established in 1969. The Readings Prize was launched in 2014. Readings owner Mark Rubbo said about the awards: "It can be difficult for debut and second-time authors to attract attention, especially when the heavy-hitters dominate the media. We established the prizes to attract readers who might not necessarily pick up these books otherwise".

In 2016, Readings won International Bookstore of the Year at the London Book Fair, a category open to all stores outside of the UK.

In 2023, Readings awarded an additional prize for young adult fiction, named the Gab Williams Prize in honour of young adult author and former prize manager Gab Williams, who died in January 2023. The winner of this prize is chosen by the Readings Teen Advisory Board, who are readers aged between 14 and 19 years, from the Readings YA Book Prize shortlist. The inaugural winner of the Gab Williams Prize was Completely Normal (and Other Lies) by Biffy James (HGCP) in 2023.

Winners of the New Australian Fiction Prize have included Jessica Au, Alice Robinson, Andrew Pippos, Jennifer Down, Elizabeth Tan, Stephanie Bishop, and Sam Carmody.

Description

The Readings Prize comprises three separate categories of fiction: Children's, Young Adult, and New Australian Fiction, with the prizes named the Readings New Australian Fiction Prize, Readings Children's Prize, and Readings Young Adult Book Prize. The Gab Williams Prize is chosen from the Young Adult shortlist. The aim of the Readings Prize is to recognise and reward "debut and second-time authors of children's, young adult, and new Australian fiction", The winner of the Gab Williams Prize is chosen by the Readings Teen Advisory Board, who are readers aged between 14 and 19 years, from the Readings YA Book Prize shortlist. and the prizes chosen by teams of Readings staff are awarded based on literary merit.

The Readings Prize total prize pool is A$16,000; the winner of each category receives $5,000, while the winner of the Gab Williams Prize receives $1,000.

Past shortlists and winners

References

External links

• Official website