The National Book Council Banjo Awards were presented by the National Book Council of Australia from 1974 to 1997 for works of fiction and non-fiction. The name commemorates the bush poet Andrew Barton
Banjo Paterson
Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, (17 February 18645 February 1941) was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the d ...
.
The Council has enjoyed notable leadership including Justice Michael Kirby and Professor Michael Fraser (1991–1998). Many notable Australian writers have been recipients for this award, including Peter Carey, Tim Winton,
Alan Gould
Alan Gould (born 22 March 1949) is a contemporary Australian novelist, essayist and poet.
Life and career
Gould was born in London to an English father and an Icelandic mother. His family lived in Northern Ireland, Germany and Singapore ...
,
Liam Davison
Liam Patrick Davison (29 July 1957 – 17 July 2014) was an Australian novelist and reviewer. He was born in Melbourne, where, until 2007, he taught creative writing at the Chisholm Institute in Frankston.
Biography
Davison was educated at S ...
,
Sally Morrison Sally Morrison may refer to:
* Sally Morrison (writer)
* Sally Morrison (philanthropist)
{{hndis, Morrison, Sally ...
, and
Roger McDonald
Hugh Roger McDonald (born 23 June 1941 in Young, New South Wales) is an Australian award-winning author of several novels and a number of non-fiction works. He is also an accomplished poet and TV scriptwriter.
Life and career
The middle son of ...
. In 1978 Helen Garner was the first woman to win the award for her novel Monkey Grip. The current
Banjo Paterson Writing Award The Banjo Paterson Writing Award is an Australian literary award honouring the legacy of Australian writer Andrew Barton Paterson (1864-1941) and is awarded annually in the categories of prose, poetry and children’s writing. William Nagle for '' The Odd Angry Shot''
* 1978 Helen Garner for '' Monkey Grip''
* 1981
David Foster
David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...
Illywhacker
''Illywhacker'' is a novel by Australian writer Peter Carey. It was published in 1985 to commercial and critical success, winning a number of awards and being short-listed for the Booker Prize.
Considered metafiction or magical realism, the ...
Alan Gould
Alan Gould (born 22 March 1949) is a contemporary Australian novelist, essayist and poet.
Life and career
Gould was born in London to an English father and an Icelandic mother. His family lived in Northern Ireland, Germany and Singapore ...
for ''To the Burning City''
* 1993
Liam Davison
Liam Patrick Davison (29 July 1957 – 17 July 2014) was an Australian novelist and reviewer. He was born in Melbourne, where, until 2007, he taught creative writing at the Chisholm Institute in Frankston.
Biography
Davison was educated at S ...
for ''Soundings''
* 1994 Elizabeth Jolley for ''The Georges' Wife''
* 1995
Sally Morrison Sally Morrison may refer to:
* Sally Morrison (writer)
* Sally Morrison (philanthropist)
{{hndis, Morrison, Sally ...
for ''Mad Meg''
* 1996 Rod Jones for ''Billy Sunday''
* 1997 Brian Castro for ''Stepper''
Non-fiction
* 1978 Kevin Gilbert for ''Living Black: Blacks Talk to Kevin Gilbert'' (1977)
* 1981
Albert Facey
Albert Barnett Facey (31 August 1894 – 11 February 1982), publishing as A.B. Facey was an Australian writer and World War I veteran, whose main work was his autobiography, '' A Fortunate Life'', now considered a classic of Australian litera ...
Roger McDonald
Hugh Roger McDonald (born 23 June 1941 in Young, New South Wales) is an Australian award-winning author of several novels and a number of non-fiction works. He is also an accomplished poet and TV scriptwriter.
Life and career
The middle son of ...
for ''Shearers' Motel''
* 1994
Hazel Rowley
Hazel Joan Rowley (16 November 1951 – 1 March 2011) was a British-born Australian author and biographer.
Born in London, Rowley emigrated with her parents to Adelaide at the age of eight. She studied at the University of Adelaide, gra ...
for ''Christina Stead: A Biography'' (1994)
* 1996 Henry Reynolds
Notes
Notable shortlisted authors include
* Matthew Condon was shortlisted in 1992 for ''Usher'' and in 1995 for The Ancient Guild of Tycoons,
* Robert Dessaix for ''
A Mother's Disgrace
A, or a, is the first Letter (alphabet), letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name ...
David Foster (novelist)
David Manning Foster is an Australian novelist and scientist. He has written a range of satires on the theme of the decline of Western civilization, as well as producing short stories, poetry, essays, and a number of radio plays.
Early li ...
Marion Halligan
Marion Mildred Halligan AM (born 1940) is an Australian writer and novelist. She was born and educated in Newcastle, New South Wales, and worked as a school teacher and journalist before publishing her first short stories. Halligan has served a ...