We're excited to announce this year's winning authors of the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction and the Readings Children's Book Prize!
The Readings New Australian Fiction Award
Music and Freedom by Zoë Morrison
The winner of The Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction in 2016 is Zoë Morrison for her debut novel, Music and Freedom.
Guest judge Maxine Beneba Clarke says:
‘Exploring themes of love, loneliness, and the price of artistic expression, Music and Freedom is an ambitious and considered debut novel. Morrison’s characters are vividly drawn, and their relationships portrayed with exquisite sensitivity. The novel is engaging and structurally sound. Morrison writes about sound and music with a joy and poetry even the unmusical can appreciate – providing a stunning and heartfelt counter to the dark relationship that forms between the two main characters. Music and Freedom is challenging, stylistically sure, accomplished, and consistent. Above all though, it is simply a good story, beautifully written.’
You can read more of the judges' thoughts on Music and Freedom and Zoë Morrison's statement on her win here.
The Readings Children's Book Prize
Run, Pip, Run by J.C. Jones
The winner of the Readings Children’s Book Prize 2016 is Run, Pip, Run by J.C. Jones!
Guest judge Sally Rippin says:
‘Pip is a spirited character full of heart and courage who readers will fall in love with from the first page. Her story is wild and adventurous yet written in such a way that always feels believable as the author skilfully and compassionately introduces us to a complex and sometimes confronting world many of us will never know.’
Read more about about Run, Pip, Run and J.C. Jones' reaction to her win here.
The Readings Prize was launched in 2014, with the aim of supporting new and emerging Australian authors. It is unique in the Australian literary prize landscape as it is the only significant prize to be managed entirely by a bookshop, and it considers both first and second works of fiction by Australian authors – a point of difference that is important to Readings, as many authors often struggle to find traction after their debut.
You should also check out our highly recommended shortlisted books:
