The First Annual Stella Prize

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The Stella Prize will be an annual literary prize for Australian women’s writing.

It will raise the profile of women’s writing, and will reward one writer with a $50,000 prize. The shortlisted and winning books will be widely publicised and marketed in order to bring readers to the work of Australian women writers.

In short, the Stella Prize will celebrate and recognise Australian women’s writing, encourage a future generation of women writers, and significantly increase the readership for books by women.

The Stella Prize is an important evolution in the recognition and celebration of women writers in Australia. Ms “Miles” Franklin would be proud.

- tara moss

The Stella Prize recognizes that women are central to Australia's literary endeavour and gives encouragement to future generations of writers.

- adam bandt

I am living proof that a women-only prize can be career-changing.

- kate grenville

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A Woman's Place by Jane Sullivan

14 January 2012

Events

International Women's Day

08 Mar 2012 to 08 Mar 2012

We're here! We're there! We're Everywhere!

Friends

Board

Sophie Cunningham

Has worked in publishing for twenty-five years and is the author of three books, Geography, Bird and Melbourne.

Monica Dux

Is a writer, social commentator and co-author of The Great Feminist Denial. Her second book, on pregnancy, birth and motherhood, will be published by MUP in 2013.

Christine Gordon

Is the events manager at Readings Books, Music and Film.

Kerryn Goldsworthy

A former editor of Australian Book Review, author of a short-story collection and has edited four anthologies of Australian writing. She taught literature at Melbourne Uni for almost 20 years and now lives and works in her hometown of Adelaide.

Susan Johnson

Is a Brisbane-based journalist and the author of eight books, including a memoir. Her new novel My Hundred Lovers will be published in June 2012 by Allen and Unwin.

Jenny Niven

Is Associate Director at the Wheeler Centre, and was previously program manager of the Melbourne Writers Festival. She was director and co-founder of The Bookworm International Literary Festival, which runs annually across three Chinese cities.

Rebecca Starford

Is editor of Kill Your Darlings and associate publisher at Affirm Press. Her reviews can be regularly read in The Age and The Australian.

Louise Swinn

Is the editorial director of Sleepers Publishing, who specialise in new and emerging writers by fostering and publishing their voices.

Kirsten Tranter

Is a Sydney-based author whose first novel, The Legacy, was shortlisted for the ALS Gold Medal and longlisted for the Miles Franklin. Her second novel, A Common Loss, will be released in January 2012.

Aviva Tuffield

Is Associate Publisher for Fiction at Scribe Publications where she is building an Australian fiction list.

Jo Case

Is a Melbourne-based writer, editor and reviewer, and associate editor of Kill Your Darlings.

Jacinta Halloran

Jacinta Halloran is a Melbourne GP and writer. Her first novel, Dissection, was published by Scribe Publications in 2008.

Liz Chappell

is a finance professional with some 20 years experience. She is currently the General Manager of The Melbourne Writers Festival.

Eleanor Thomas

Eleanor Thomas is a lawyer and former bookseller. She currently works in human rights law at the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office.

Contact

Help us raise the profile of Australian woman’s writing by donating to the Stella Award.

If you would like to make a donation or want to find out more about our upcoming events, contact us on thestellaprize@gmail.com.

The Stella Prize, with its graceful flexibility about genre, will encourage women writers to work in the forms they feel truly at home in, instead of having to squeeze themselves into the old traditional corsets.

- Helen Garner

I love the idea of the Stellas. Why have we not done this before?

- lee liberman

As merit does not come with genes, we still need to balance the books!

- eva cox ao

There has to be, and there is, scope within a country’s literature for all kinds of writing, and I want to see women practicing every kind of writing that represents our literature, and to be acknowledged and honored for doing so.

- dr anne summers ao

The Stella Prize is much-needed recognition of the wonderful books being written by our women writers —one that is necessary for a vibrant and diverse publishing industry.

- claudia karvan

Hooray for the Stella Prize, which recognises that women writers and readers are the pillar of the Australian publishing industry. We buy the books; we teach the young ones to read; and we want to reward the women writers who enrich our lives by telling our stories.

- wendy harmer

2011 The Stella Prize / Designed & developed by Inventive Labs and built using Blueprint.

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