Winners of Chief Minister’s NT Book Awards!
The NT Writers’ Centre is pleased to announce the winners of the Chief Minister’s NT Book Awards for 2020.
They are (in alphabetical order)
Barry Jonsberg for A Song Only I Can Hear (Best Children’s/YA book), Allen & Unwin
Leni Shilton for Walking With Camels: The Story of Bertha Strehlow (Best Fiction Book) UWA Publishing
Monica Tan for Stranger Country (Best Nonfiction Book), Allen & Unwin
Each winner will receive $2000 in prize money.
The executive director of the NT Writers’ Centre, Sally Bothroyd, said: “The Chief Minister’s NT Book Awards are the only book awards exclusively open to NT authors, and it’s an opportunity to showcase the great stories and storytellers we have here. All the entrants should be proud of their achievement in publishing a book. The nine shortlisted books are all fantastic, and it’s a shame only three winners could be chosen. I’d encourage everyone to check out the shortlisted books because I’m sure they’ll find at least one that they love.”
Background:
For the first time, the Chief Minister’s NT Book Awards was broadcast online due to the current pandemic restrictions.
NT actor Rob Collins hosted the awards, which featured an online appearance from all the shortlisted authors.
The Awards were open to authors living in the NT who had a book published in 2018 or 2019, and the NT Writers’ Centre received a record 36 entries from books by 34 NT authors and illustrators.
Since 2009, the awards have celebrated excellence amongst published authors residing in the NT. They draw national attention to NT writers and in the past have served to raise the profile of remote, regional and Indigenous voices. The awards take place biennially.
The short list for the three categories was (in alphabetical order for each category)
Best Fiction Book
- Capriccio: Dina Davis (Cilento Publishing)
- Walking with Camels: Leni Shilton (UWA Publishing)
- The Last Free Man: Lewis Woolston (Truth Serum Press)
Best Non-Fiction Book
- Song Spirals: Gay’wu Group of Women (Allen & Unwin)
- Darwin Origin of a City: Derek Pugh (Self-published)
- Stranger Country: Monica Tan (Allen & Unwin)
Best Young Adult or Children’s Book
- A Song Only I Can Hear: Barry Jonsberg (Allen & Unwin)
- Beauty: Sandra Kendell (Windy Hollow Books)
- Our Birds: Siena Stubbs (Magabala Books)
Thanks goes to the NTWC’s supporters: The NT Government, the Australia Council, and the Chief Minister of the NT. Thanks also to Global Headquarters for producing the ceremony video.
Watch the full recording below!
