Normally when I hear about another prize for writing I feel ambivalent; just another lottery for poor writers with only one winner. It’s almost like having a prize is enough for a community to say, ‘Look how supportive we are!’ But that’s not the case with the Stella Prize.

In exciting news, this affirmation of our great women writers is up and running. The Stella committee have announced that the first prize for a work of fiction or non-fiction by an Australian woman author will be awarded next year, and they have called for entries.

It’s a remarkable achievement by a determined group of women with a passion for writing. The idea had its beginnings at a bookshop event to mark International Women’s Day a few years ago. Speakers there lamented the lack of recognition of Australian women’s literature; particularly galling was the fact that no women writers were shortlisted for the 2011 Miles Franklin Award. Through dogged persistence, the committee have managed to raise enough funds to run the inaugural prize. Their hope is to attract a significant donation or sponsorship to give the prize longevity and certainty. The English equivalent, The UK Women’s Prize for Fiction (formerly The Orange Prize), is going through some uncertainty after telecom giant Orange announced that it would end its support after 17 years.

The 2013 Stella prize is happening because of the support of some remarkable individuals, most notably Ellen Koshland, Patricia O’Donnell and Michelle Garnaut. Ellen is a philanthropist who has a passionate interest in literature and especially poetry (Ellen conceived and curated the grand poetry events at the Melbourne Writers Festival). Patricia O’Donnell was the proprietor of Mietta’s in Queenscliff and a major supporter of the Queenscliff Writers Festival. She is now proprietor of the North Fitzroy Star, a restaurant home to many a book launch and literary event. Michelle Garnaut is the owner of the M Group, which has three restaurants in Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai and is the founder of the Shanghai International Literary Festival.

The judging panel will be chaired by Age reviewer Kerryn Goldsworthy (a former Miles Franklin judge) and include novelist Kate Grenville (a winner of the Orange Prize), Fiona Stager (past president of the Australian Booksellers’ Association) and actor Claudia Karvan. ABC broadcaster Rafael Epstein will also be a judge. The prize will be awarded on April next year.

If you’d like to enter or donate you can find more details on the

Mark Rubbo