Perpetual announces longlists competing for $35,000 in prizes
Perpetual, as trustee of the Nita B Kibble Literary Awards for Women Writers (the Kibble Awards), today announced the longlists for the 2015 Kibble and Dobbie Awards, with six female authors selected for each.
First awarded over 20 years ago, the Kibble Awards are open to Australian female writers who have published a book of fiction or non-fiction classifiable as ‘life writing’. This includes novels, autobiographies, biographies, literature and any writing with a strong personal element.
The Kibble Awards comprise the Kibble Literary Award for an established author as well as the Dobbie Literary Award for a first time published author.
The Awards have been bestowed upon some of Australia’s leading writers, with this year’s winners sharing prize money of $35,000. Previous Kibble Award winners include Gail Jones, Geraldine Brooks and last year’s winner, Kristina Olsson, who won the prize for Boy, Lost: A family memoir.
The 2015 longlist is:
Kibble Literary Award for an established author ($30,000 prize)
Dobbie Literary Award for a first time published author ($5,000 prize)
The judging panel of the Kibble Awards includes Humanities Australia Editor, Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Webby AM, State Library of New South Wales Coordinator- Education and Scholarship, Dr Rachel Franks, and internationally renowned novelist, Dr Rosie Scott.
Speaking on behalf of the panel, Ms Webby said: “The calibre of entries this year was high, reflecting the strength of Australian female writing today in both fiction and non-fiction. The longlisted titles deal with a striking variety of themes, are set in vastly different times and places, but all display great imaginative power and depth in their presentation of aspects of Australian life.”
Perpetual’s General Manager of Philanthropy, Andrew Thomas, commended the authors on their achievement.
“Congratulations to all of the authors who have been included on the longlists of the 2015 Kibble and Dobbie Literary Awards,” Mr Thomas said.
“As trustee of the Awards, Perpetual is pleased to see that the legacy that Nita May Dobbie left behind is still encouraging female writers to pursue their passion today.”
The Kibble Awards shortlist will be announced on 3 June, with the winner to be revealed at an event in Sydney on 15 July 2015.
For more information about the Award, please visit www.perpetual.com.au/kibble
