The Chief Minister’s NT Book Awards
Started by the NT Writers’ Centre 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.
In 2020, the three categories were streamlined into: fiction, non-fiction and YA/Children’s.
It was intended for the 2020 award ceremony to be part of the NT Writers Festival, but due to the pandemic it was held online and can be viewed here.
The awards will next be held in 2022, for books published in 2020 and 2021.
Previous Winners of the Chief Minister’s NT Book Awards
2009 (there was only one award in this inaugural year)
An Intruder’s Guide to Arnhem Land by Andrew McMillan
2010
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)
2011
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)
2012
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)
2014
Rod Moss: One Thousand Cuts (Book of Year)
Craig San Roque and Joshua Santospirito: The Long Weekend in Alice Springs. (non-fiction)
Barry Jonsberg: My Life as an Alphabet (YA or children’s)
2016
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-fiction)
Irena Kobald: My Two Blankets (YA or children’s)
2018
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)
2020
Leni Shilton: Walking With Camels – The Story of Bertha Strehlow (UWA Publishing) (Best Fiction)
Barry Jonsberg: A Song Only I Can Hear (Allen & Unwin) (Best Children’s or YA)
Monica Tan: Stranger Country (Allen & Unwin( (Best Non-Fiction)
