SA Govt increases cash prize for Adelaide Festival Awards

Tuesday, 10 April 2012 Books+Publishing

The South Australian Government has announced that it will offer an extra $15,000 for the Premier’s Award at the next Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, reports Adelaide Now.

The additional cash will mean that the value of the Premier’s Award, which is presented to one of the winners of the other award categories, will increase from $10,000 to $25,000. The increased cash prize brings the overall value of the Adelaide Festival Awards to $150,000.

The announcement from SA Premier Jay Weatherill follows last week’s news that the Queensland Government will discontinue the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards. The New South Wales Government announced late last week that the management of the NSW Premier’s Literary and History Awards will change this year, following a review of the awards announced in late 2011 and that the 2012 awards will be presented in November.

The Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature are presented biennially at the beginning of Adelaide Writers’ Week. While Adelaide Writers’ Week has now moved to an annual timetable, the SA Government has decided not to offer the awards annually, reports Adelaide Now.

The 2012 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature were presented at the beginning of March. Kim Scott won the Premier’s Award, as well as the fiction category, for his novel That Deadman Dance (Picador). A complete list of winners can be seen here.

Category: Local news