We're excited to announce the winning authors for the first year of the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction and the Readings Children's Book Prize!
The Readings New Australian Fiction Award
Only the Animals by Ceridwen Dovey
We are pleased to announce Ceridwen Dovey is the winner of the inaugural Readings New Australian Writing Award for her short story collection Only the Animals.
Our judges said:
‘Only the Animals is surely one of the boldest Australian short-story collections in recent years. Here is a rare beast – a work of fiction that is not only richly imaginative, but also intelligent, ambitious and universal in theme. Ceridwen Dovey has created a book that wears its literary antecedents – Kafka, Colette, Woolf, Coetzee – lightly, but with each story she proves that Only the Animals belongs in this sort of company.'
You can read more about Dovey's win, including a statement from guest judge Hannah Kent here.
The Readings Children's Book Prize
Song for a Scarlet Runner by Julie Hunt
Earlier this year, we were excited to share that Julie Hunt was the inaugural winner of the Readings Children's Book Prize for her middle-grade novel Song for a Scarlet Runner.
Our guest judge, Sally Rippin, says of the book:
‘Reading Song for a Scarlet Runner was like being transported to another world. The language was gorgeous and evocative and the characters so skilfully drawn that if I close my eyes I can still be transported back there, weeks after having put the book down. As an adult reader I loved this novel, and can only imagine the magical experience of being swept away by a book like this as a child.’
You can read more about Hunt's win, including a Q&A with the author, in our original announcement post, here.
You should also check out our highly recommended shortlisted books!
