Chief Minister’s NT Book Awards 2024 winners announced
The winners of the 2024 Chief Minister’s NT Book Awards have been announced.
The winning titles in each category are:
Fiction
- Hush (Ciella Williams, Playlab Theatre)
Nonfiction
- Living in Tin: The Bungalow, Alice Springs, 1914–1929 (Linda Wells, Ginninderra Press)
Children’s/YA
- Tangki Tjuta—Donkeys (Tjanpi Desert Weavers, A&U Children’s).
This year’s winners were selected from shortlists announced in September by judges Marie Munkara, Leni Shilton and Jane Godwin. Each winner receives $10,000, alongside promotion and touring support.
Presented as a play at Flight Path Theatre in Sydney in 2022, Hush explores the fears and realities of young women faced with the transformation of motherhood. Said the judges: ‘Powerful to read, this script dives into the moral complexities of pregnancy, birthing, and termination. Issues that are left in the shadows are exposed to the light. It was raw, earthy, pacy and told with disarming sincerity.’ Williams acknowledged the challenge that faces writers in the NT: ‘I wouldn’t live and make work anywhere else, but it can be very hard for NT writing to break out and be recognised nationally. This award means the absolute world, I am so proud to be among this cohort of phenomenal writers.’ She added: ‘I hope readers can see some of themselves in these characters, and know they are not alone in some of the darker and stranger thoughts and feelings around pregnancy and motherhood. If that’s not their journey or experience, I hope they can see that it can be messier and stranger and more complex than our pervasive narratives make out.’
The judges said of nonfiction winner, Living in Tin: ‘There was no glossing over the facts or whitewashing when it came to the roles that non-Indigenous people played in the lives of the Indigenous people living in the Bungalow.’ Said Wells: ‘I wrote this because I am passionate about the intercultural, frontier history of Alice Springs. I think we need to understand those early, formative times in our social history to help us understand the present.’
Tangki Tjuta—Donkeys, told in Pitjantjatjara and English, tells how tangki (donkeys) came to be in the community of Ernabella. The judges said: ‘This is a book for everyone, not just children. It’s charming, original and quirky. The woven sculpture illustrations are unique, effective and full of character. From the making of the props to the beguiling story line, this is truly a book about the Northern Territory. A must for every school library.’ The Tjanpi Desert Weavers said: ‘It is a wonderful and joyous recognition for the many community members involved in the project. It acknowledges the storytelling, craft-making abilities and innovative arts practice of [Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara] grandmothers, mothers and daughters and the love they have for their kids. It shares these stories of changing life in communities and reflects the joy, humour and resilience of Pukatja families.’
Begun by the NT Writers’ Centre in 2009, and originally called Territory Read, the biennial awards celebrate excellence in published authors residing in the NT. The awards were previously presented in 2022.
More information is available on the NT Writers Centre website.
Category: Awards Local news
