Banjo Prize 2022 shortlist announced
HarperCollins Australia has announced the shortlist for the 2022 Banjo Prize for an unpublished work of commercial fiction.
The shortlisted manuscripts are:
- ‘Pine River Falls’ by Christine Gregory
- ‘Next of Kin’ by Inessa Jackson
- ‘Ocean Drive’ by Mitch Jennings
- ‘The Garden’ by Clare Roche
- ‘The Love Contract’ by Steph Vizard.
In its fifth year the Banjo Prize received around 300 entries. The winner receives a publishing contract with HarperCollins with a $15,000 advance, while up to four runners-up each receive a written assessment of their manuscript.
HarperCollins fiction publisher Anna Valdinger said each shortlisted entry is ‘thought-provoking, entertaining and captivates from the first page’.
‘”Pine River Falls” is an atmospheric, twisty crime novel about an idyllic community with a dark underbelly; “Next of Kin” is a page-turning thriller about a young doctor trying to prove her brother innocent of murder; “Ocean Drive” is an intriguing mystery with an unlikely partnership and a wonderfully original voice; “The Garden” is an unsettling, compelling story about a family trying to escape a controlling patriarch; and “The Love Contract” is a delightfully charming romantic comedy.’
Last year’s winner was Veronica Lando for mystery The Whispering, published in July 2022.
The winner of the this year’s Banjo Prize will be announced 27 September. For more information, see the HarperCollins website.
Category: Awards Local news
