Gray, Master win humour writing prizes
The NSW State Library has announced the winners of the 2025 Russell Prize for Humour Writing and the Humour Writing for Young People Award.
Winners are:
Russell Prize for Humour Writing ($10,000)
- Green Dot by Madeleine Gray (A&U)
Humour Writing for Young People Award ($5000)
- Laughter Is the Best Ending by Maryam Master, illustrated by Astred Hicks (Pan)
Highly commended
- Oscar vs the Grand Old Dude Named York by Ross Curnow (Walker).
Winning titles and the highly commended title were chosen from shortlists announced in April.
Russell Prize judging chair Richard Glover said: ‘Green Dot by Madeleine Gray is a compelling Australian novel that brings a new complexity to the genre sometimes called “rom-com”. It’s sweet but also sour; terrifically funny as well as Anna Karenina sad. And what a great ear the author has for the rhythm of conversations and for the debates that occur within your own head.’
The Humour Writing for Young People Award was chosen by a panel of junior judges aged 10–11 who praised Laughter Is the Best Ending as ‘a heartwarming, funny story [that could] make anyone laugh and smile’.
Now in its 10th year, the Russell Prize was created ‘to celebrate, recognise and encourage the humour writing genre’, said the organisers, while the Humour Writing for Young People Award began in 2021, for works written for readers aged 5 to 12.
The Speechwriter by Martin McKenzie-Murray (Scribe) won the 2024 Russell Prize for Humour and Rita’s Revenge by Lian Tanner (A&U Children’s) won the 2024 Humour Writing for Young People Award.
More details about the prizes are available on the State Library of NSW website.
Category: Awards Local news News
