Stella Prize 2014 judging panel, mentorship programs announced

The Stella Prize has announced the judging panel for its 2014 awards and the creation of two new mentorship programs.

The judging panel for 2014 comprises critic and writer Kerryn Goldsworthy, who is also the panel’s chair; journalist Annabel Crabb; author Tony Birch; author and academic Brenda Walker; and bookseller Fiona Stager.

In a statement, the prize committee announced that it plans to establish two new programs in 2014. The first, the Stella Prize mentorship program, will offer ‘10 emerging women writers the opportunity to be mentored by an established Australian writer, administered through the various state writers’ centres’. The second, the Stella Prize education program, will offer ‘professional development with teachers and school librarians, and to arrange for women writers to visit schools around the country to inspire students about the long tradition of women’s writing in Australia’.

The Stella Prize, which is now in its second year, is awarded for the best work of literature, fiction or nonfiction by an Australian woman. The prize is worth $50,000. Last year’s winner was Carrie Tiffany for Mateship with Birds (Picador).

Entries for the Stella Prize 2014 are now open, and close at 5pm on 21 October. The longlist will be announced in February 2014, the shortlist in March and the winner in April. For more information about the awards, visit the Stella Prize website here.

Tags: awardsstellaprize

Category: Local news