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Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2025 winners announced

Wednesday, 19 March 2025   Books+Publishing
@booksandpublishing

The Wheeler Centre has announced the winners of the 2025 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards (VPLAs).

Nukgal Wurra author-artist Wanda Gibson has won the overall Victorian Prize for Literature, worth $100,000, for her picture book Three Dresses (UQP). This is the first time the winner of the Children’s Prize for Literature has taken out the overall prize.

Gibson is a Nukgal Wurra woman of the Guugu Yimithirr people on her mother’s side. Her father is a Yuuethawarra man and his country is around Cape Melville. Gibson lives in Hope Vale on the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, and Three Dresses ‘takes inspiration from her own childhood in Far North Queensland and the annual beach holidays she and her family would take on the coast’, said the VPLAs in a statement.

‘A master weaver, painter and artist, Gibson’s own illustrations imbue the heart-warming family story with a visual celebration of country and home,’ said the VPLAs.

Gibson was among several First Nations authors recognised in the 2025 awards: Jeanine Leane took out the Victorian Premier’s Prize for Poetry for her ‘generous and deftly executed’ collection Gawimarra: Gathering, Amy McQuire won the Prize for Indigenous Writing for Black Witness (UQP), and Nathan Maynard won the Prize for Drama for the stage-show 37 (Currency Press).

The winners in each category are:

Victorian Prize for Literature ($100,000)

  • Three Dresses (Wanda Gibson, UQP)

Fiction ($25,000)

  • Highway 13 (Fiona McFarlane, A&U)

Nonfiction ($25,000)

  • Anything Can Happen (Susan Hampton, Puncher & Wattmann)

Poetry ($25,000)

  • Gawimarra: Gathering (Jeanine Leane, UQP)

Drama ($25,000)

  • 37 (Nathan Maynard, Currency Press)

Indigenous writing ($25,000)

  • Black Witness (Amy McQuire, UQP)

Children’s literature ($25,000)

  • Three Dresses (Wanda Gibson, UQP)

Writing for young adults ($25,000)

John Clarke Prize for Humour Writing ($25,000)

  • I’d Rather Not (Robert Skinner, Black Inc.)

Unpublished manuscript ($15,000)

  • ‘I Made This Just for You’ (Chris Ames)

People’s Choice Award ($2000)

  • I’d Rather Not (Robert Skinner, Black Inc.).

At the ceremony, it was also announced that the award in the young adult category will be renamed the John Marsden Prize for Writing for Young Adults. ‘The prize will be renamed for the 2026 awards and recognises his contribution to Australian literature, and to the lives of many young people.’

Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks congratulated all winners and shortlisted writers. ‘Collectively their work reflects the richness and diversity of Australian stories and storytelling, and there is plenty for people of all ages to dive into and read,’ said Brooks. ‘It’s wonderful to see a book written for children take out the Victorian Prize for Literature for the first time this year, congratulations to Wanda Gibson on this extraordinary achievement.’

The winners in each category, chosen from shortlists announced in January, were announced at a ceremony in Melbourne and live-streamed on the Wheeler Centre website on Wednesday, 19 March.

More information about the awards and judges’ comments are available on the Wheeler Centre website.

The winner of the 2024 Victorian Prize for Literature was Grace Yee for her poetry collection Chinese Fish (Giramondo).

 

Category: Awards Local news