Stella Prize

The Stella Prize is an Australian annual literary award established in 2013 for writing by Australian women in all genres, worth $50,000. It was originally proposed by Australian women writers and publishers in 2011, modelled on the UK's Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize for Fiction).^[1]

The award derives its name from the author Miles Franklin, whose full name was "Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin".^[2]

It was established by a group of 11 Australian women writers, editors, publishers and booksellers who became concerned about the poor representation of books by women in Australia's top literary prize, the Miles Franklin Award. ^[3][4]

"After a rapid acceleration in women's rights in the '70s and '80s, things have started to go backwards," Sophie Cunningham said in a keynote address at the 2011 Melbourne Writers' Festival. "Women continue to be marginalised in Australian culture and, the arts sector – which likes to pride itself on its liberal values – is, in fact, complacent. Women are much less likely to win literary awards, to write reviews of books, or have their books reviewed. This, despite the fact they write about half the books published."^[5]

Some commentators, such as Erin Handley writing in The Age, have said that fiction and non-fiction are different genres that should be judged separately, highlighting that this is an issue for the Stella Prize. But this is rejected by Dr Kerryn Goldsworthy, the chair of the Stella judging panel, who has stated that comparing fiction and non-fiction is "no harder than comparing books in general", and that "excellence is achievable in any form".^[6]

Award winners

Shortlists

2015^[10]

• Foreign Soil – Maxine Beneba Clarke
• The Strays – Emily Bitto
• The Invisible History of the Human Race – Christine Kenneally
• The Eye of the Sheep – Sofie Laguna
• The Golden Age – Joan London
• Heat and Light – Ellen van Neerven

2014^[11]

• Burial Rites – Hannah Kent
• Night Games: Sex, Power and Sport – Anna Krien
• The Night Guest – Fiona McFarlane
• Boy, Lost: A Family Memoir – Kristina Olsson
• The Swan Book – Alexis Wright
• The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka – Clare Wright

2013^[12]

• The Burial – Courtney Collins
• Questions of Travel – Michelle de Kretser
• The Sunlit Zone – Lisa Jacobson
• Like a House on Fire – Cate Kennedy
• Sea Hearts – Margo Lanagan
• Mateship with Birds – Carrie Tiffany

Longlists

2015^[13]

• Foreign Soil – Maxine Beneba Clarke
• The Strays – Emily Bitto
• Only the Animals – Ceridwen Dovey
• This House of Grief – Helen Garner
• Golden Boys – Sonya Hartnett
• The Invisible History of the Human Race – Christine Kenneally
• The Eye of the Sheep – Sofie Laguna
• The Golden Age – Joan London
• Laurinda – Alice Pung
• Nest – Inga Simpson
• Heat and Light – Ellen van Neerven
• In My Mother’s Hands – Biff Ward

2014^[14]

• Letter to George Clooney – Debra Adelaide
• Moving Among Strangers: Randolph Stow and My Family – Gabrielle Carey
• Burial Rites – Hannah Kent
• Night Games: Sex, Power and Sport – Anna Krien
• Mullumbimby – Melissa Lucashenko
• The Night Guest – Fiona McFarlane
• Boy, Lost: A Family Memoir – Kristina Olsson
• The Misogyny Factor – Anne Summers
• Madeleine: A Life of Madeleine St John – Helen Trinca
• The Swan Book – Alexis Wright
• The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka – Clare Wright
• All the Birds, Singing – Evie Wyld

2013^[15]

• Floundering – Romy Ash
• Mazin Grace – Dylan Coleman
• The Burial – Courtney Collins
• The People Smuggler – Robin de Crespigny
• Questions of Travel – Michelle de Kretser
• Sufficient Grace – Amy Espeseth
• The Sunlit Zone – Lisa Jacobson
• Like a House on Fire – Cate Kennedy
• Sea Hearts – Margo Lanagan
• The Mind of a Thief – Patti Miller
• An Opening – Stephanie Radok
• Mateship with Birds – Carrie Tiffany

See also

• Sophie Cunningham

References