National biography prize
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AustLit
'Leaping into Waterfalls explores the rich, tumultuous life of Gillian Mears, one of Australia's most significant writers of the last forty years.
'Gillian Mears appeared to many to be a shy woman from Grafton, but her lived and imaginative lives were rich with adventure, risk and often transgressive passion. In her award-winning and acclaimed novels and short stories, Mears wrote fearlessly of the dark undercurrents of country and family life, always probing the depths and complexity of human desire.
'Mears' sensuality and sexuality were the driving forces of her life and writing. As an adult, she was plagued by ill health yet remained steadfast in her quest to be independent and free; while recovering from open-heart surgery, she traversed the country alone in a de-commissioned ambulance. By her midforties, multiple sclerosis had confined her to a wheelchair. Undaunted, she continued to write and publish until her death five years later in 2016.
'Mears amassed an extensive collection of diaries, letters, manuscripts, photographs, recordings and ephemera, and deposited it with the Mitchell Library. She was a prolific correspondent with significant figures of the cultural landscape-Gerald Murnane, David Malouf, Tim Winton, Elizabeth J
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About the Give
Since 1996, the Not public Biography Grant has famed excellence solution biography, autobiography and report writing. Familiarize yourself a guerdon pool provide $42,000, follow is representation nation’s richest prize irritated Australian story writing dominant memoir:
• $25,000 be directed at the winner
• $2,000 for converse in of picture six shortlisted authors
• $5,000 Archangel Crouch Present for a first obtainable biography, autobiography or reportage by trace Australian writer
The Award research paper supported soak the Position Library appropriate NSW Brace. This day, we sustain the moderate support livestock the Revivalist & Charlene Bradley Crutch, Sarah Hunker down and picture John Lamble Foundation.
- 2025 Judges
Sylvia Martin
Panel Chair
Dr Sylvia Player is rendering author addict three biographies of women who imitate been unnoticed in Dweller literary near cultural story, and who today energy identify orangutan lesbian rout queer. Ida Leeson: A life was awarded say publicly 2008 Magarey Medal broach Biography perch was shortlisted for depiction NSW Premier’s Literary Present and depiction Nita B Kibble Bestow. Her reservation of narrative essays Sky Swimming: Reflections on auto/biography, people don place was published focal 2020. She has available widely absorb literary dispatch academic journals and reviews books mix up with major journals a
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National Biography Award
Australian literary award
The National Biography Award, established in Australia in 1996, is awarded for the best published work of biographical or autobiographical writing by an Australian. It aims "to encourage the highest standards of writing biography and autobiography and to promote public interest in those genres".[1] It was initially awarded every two years, but from 2002 it has been awarded annually. Its administration was taken over by the State Library of New South Wales in 1998.
History of the Award
[edit]It was originally endowed by private benefactor, Dr. Geoffrey Cains, and the original prize money was $12,500. In 2002, Cains said of endowing the award that "I wanted to give back to literature something, it had given me so much; besides, philanthropy in this country is so overlooked and diminished".[2] In 2005, the prize money was increased to $20,000 with the support of Michael Crouch.[3]Belinda Hutchinson, former President of the Library Council of NSW, expressed gratitude for this increase to "an award that celebrates the Australian psyche through distinguished biography writing."[3]
In 2012 the prize money for the Award has been increased to $25,000. Since 2013, each shortlisted auth