Stella Prize 2023 shortlist announced

The shortlist for the $60,000 Stella Prize for women and non-binary writers has been announced.

The shortlisted books are:

• We Come With This Place (Debra Dank, Echo)
• big beautiful female theory (Eloise Grills, Affirm)
• The Jaguar (Sarah Holland-Batt, UQP)
• Hydra (Adriane Howell, Transit Lounge)
• Indelible City (Louisa Lim, Text)
• Bad Art Mother (Edwina Preston, Wakefield).

This year’s shortlist comprises one graphic memoir (big beautiful female theory), one poetry collection (The Jaguar), one novel (Hydra) and three works of nonfiction. Every shortlisted book is published by an independent publisher.

Judging panel chair Alice Pung said, ‘Although all the books on our shortlist are very different, common themes emerge about a woman’s relationship to her art and to the world around her. All our shortlisted books also explore with moving complexity some of the most pivotal relationships in a woman’s life, and their roles as daughters, partners, wives, and mothers.

‘When considering how “engaging” a work was, we searched for a sense of uncontrived emotional resonance, and the work’s power to transcend its immediate appeal to become an enduring shifter of culture. We looked for “originality” not only in content but in form, and “excellence” at both a holistic and sentence-by-sentence level. Our shortlist includes both established and debut creators—but all of the publishers are small presses. This speaks to the importance of small publishers in amplifying Australia’s most exciting, innovative, and creative work.’

The six shortlisted books were chosen from a longlist of 12 titles. The winner will be announced on 27 April at a ceremony in Sydney.

The winner of last year’s Stella Prize was Evelyn Araluen for Dropbear (UQP), which was the first poetry collection to win the award.

For more information about the Stella Prize, visit the website.

Category: Awards Local news