Stella Prize 2024 shortlist announced
The shortlist for the $60,000 Stella Prize for women and non-binary writers has been announced.
The shortlisted books are:
- Praiseworthy (Alexis Wright, Giramondo)
- Feast (Emily O’Grady, A&U)
- Abandon Every Hope: Essays for the dead (Hayley Singer, Upswell)
- Body Friend (Katherine Brabon, Ultimo)
- The Swift Dark Tide (Katia Ariel, Gazebo Books)
- Hospital (Sanya Rushdi, Giramondo).
Each of the shortlisted authors receives $4000 in prize money. The shortlist was chosen from a longlist of 12 by judge chair Beejay Silcox and fellow judges Eleanor Jackson, Cheryl Leavy, Bram Presser and Yves Rees, who were unanimous in their decision.
‘All of life and death is here in these pages: illness, madness, love, sex, slaughter, parenthood, sovereignty, climate, Country,’ said Silcox. ‘But none of the books on this shortlist tell readers what to think. They do not hector, lecture or preach. Rather, they open spaces for doubt and self-examination, disagreement and camaraderie, rage, absurdity and exultation for the grotesque and the gorgeous. They invite us in. And they trust us to make up our own minds. This is the quality that distinguished them in the judging room: their mighty generosity.’
The Stella Prize is awarded annually to one outstanding book by an Australian woman or non-binary writer, which is deemed to be ‘original, excellent, and engaging’.
The winner of last year’s Stella Prize was Sarah Holland-Batt for The Jaguar (UQP), which was the second poetry collection to win the award.
More information about the Stella Prize and this year’s shortlist is available on the Stella Prize website.
Category: Awards Local news
