The Chief Minister’s NT Book Awards – A History

Started in 2009, and originally called Territory Read, the Chief Minister’s NT book awards have been celebrating excellence amongst published authors residing in the NT for over a decade. What began as a single, annual award has evolved into a biennial affair with multiple categories, and with generous support from the Chief Minister have developed into the premier prize for authors in the NT. 2020 is an exciting year, with the awards ceremony taking place in the Botanic Gardens, and now part of the writers’ festival, as well as the introduction of three streamlined categories: fiction, non-fiction and YA/Children’s.

An Intruder’s Guide to Arnhem Land by Andrew McMillan

Every Secret Thing by Marie Munkara (Book of Year)

The Devil You Know by Leonie Norrington (YA or children’s)

The Red Highway by Nicholas Rothwell (non-fiction)

The Hard Light of Day by Rod Moss. (Book of Year)

Twinkle by Nick Bland (YA or children’s)

Iwenhe Tyerrtye – what it means to be an Aboriginal person, Margaret Kemarre Turner OAM (non-ficton)

Northern Voyagers by Alan Powell (non fiction and book of year)

Savannah Dreams by Lolia Stewart and Elaine Russell (YA or children’s)

(Awards went to biennial model, so no awards in 2015 and 2017)

Rod Moss: One Thousand Cuts (Book of Year)

Craig San Roque and Joshua Santospirito: The Long Weekend in Alice Springs. (non-ficton)

Barry Jonsberg: My Life as an Alphabet (YA or children’s)

Dual winners of CM Book of the Year: Clare Atkins: Nona and Me and Mary Anne Butler: Highway of Lost Hearts

Derek Pugh: Tambora Travels to Sumbawa and the Mountain That Changed the World (non-ficton)

Irena Kobald: My Two Blankets (YA or children’s)

Mary Anne Butler: Broken (Currency Press)  (Book of Year)

Johanna Bell and Dion Beasley: Too Many Cheeky Dogs (Allen & Unwin) (Children’s)

Frank Byrne, Franny Coughlan and Gerard Waterford: Living in Hope (Ptilotus Press) (non-fiction)