Lebeter wins Horne Prize 2019 for essay on climate change and biodiversity

Rachael Lebeter has won the the $15,000 Horne Prize for her essay ‘Diary of a Wildlife Carer’, on the plight of native fauna in the face of climate change and diminishing biodiversity.

Lebeter was chosen from a shortlist of five, announced last month. This year’s judges were Saturday Paper editor Maddison Connaughton, Aesop chief customer officer Suzanne Santos, professor Marcia Langton and authors Anna Krien and Nam Le.

Thomas Mayor was awarded the first ever highly commended in the prize’s history for his essay ‘A Dream That Cannot Be Denied’, about the legacy of the Wave Hill Walk-Off and the need for constitutional enshrinement of a First Nations Voice.

Established by the Saturday Paper and skin care company Aesop, and now in its fourth year, the Horne Prize is named after writer Donald Horne and requires entrants to submit an essay of up to 3000 words addressing the subject of contemporary Australian life. This year’s prize attracted more than 300 entries.

Lebeter’s essay will be published in the Saturday Paper on 21 December. For more information, visit the website.

Category: Awards Local news