Banjo Prize 2021 shortlist announced

HarperCollins Australia has announced the shortlist for the 2021 Banjo Prize for an unpublished work of commercial fiction.

The shortlisted manuscripts are:

• ‘My Father the Whale’ (Gina Perry)
• ‘The Wishbone Observer’ (Kathy Sharpe)
• ‘The Whispering’ (Veronica Lando)
• ‘The Terms of Inheritance’ (Michelle Upton).

Now in its fourth year, the Banjo Prize received almost 250 entries from around Australia. The winner receives a publishing contract with HarperCollins with a $15,000 advance, while three runners-up will each receive a written assessment of their manuscript.

HarperCollins fiction publisher Anna Valdinger said: ‘We were so impressed by the quality of entries to this year’s Banjo Prize, and whittling them down to a shortlist was both an enormous challenge and enormous fun. Once again, it’s a privilege and a delight to see the depth of talent out there among Australian writers—across numerous genres. This is a very special shortlist, rich in imagination and storytelling skill.’

Last year’s winner was Dinuka McKenzie for her crime novel The Torrent (entered as ‘Flood Debris’), which will be published in February 2022.

The winner of the 2021 Banjo Prize will be announced on 28 September. For more information, see the HarperCollins website.

Category: Awards Local news