Horne Prize 2018 shortlist announced

26 November 2018 Books+Publishing

The Saturday Paper and skin care company Aesop have announced the shortlist for the $15,000 Horne Prize for narrative nonfiction.

The shortlisted writers are:

Melanie Cheng for ‘All the Other Stories’, on the passing of time and the power of storytelling
Claire G Coleman for ‘After the Grog War’, on the Barunga Statement and the impact of the Northern Territory Intervention
Joy Goodsell for ‘Domestic Terrorism’, on the language and shape of family violence
Daniel James for ‘Ten More Days’, on Aboriginality and what is lost between generations
Fiona Wright for ‘State Your Intentions’, on solitude, loneliness and the vagaries of desire.

Now in its third year, the Horne Prize is named after writer Donald Horne and requires entrants to submit an essay of up to 3000 words addressing the subject of contemporary Australian life. This year’s prize attracted more than 400 entries.

In September author Anna Funder and journalist David Marr quit the judging panel for the Horne Prize, after a rule change about which judges were not consulted. The Horne Prize subsequently backflipped on the rule change, acknowledging that the changes ‘were restrictive and should not have been included’. The prize is now being judged by the three remaining on the panel: Saturday Paper editor-in-chief Erik Jensen, writer and academic Marcia Langton, and Aesop general manager, retail and customer service, Suzanne Santos.

The winning essay will be announced on 22 December and published in the Saturday Paper on 23 December. For more information, visit the Horne Prize website.

Category: Awards Local news