David Unaipon Award for an Emerging Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Writer

About the award

Part of the Queensland Literary Awards, the David Unaipon Award is for an outstanding unpublished manuscript by an emerging Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writer.

Eligibility 

• All emerging Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writers are eligible, this includes those who:
  • are of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent
  • identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
  • are accepted as such by the communities in which they live or have lived or worked.
• Writers who have published/self-published a book are not eligible to enter. 
• Entries must include a copy of a document that confirms Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This might be a letter of confirmation with a common seal from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander incorporated community organisation, or a confirmation of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage, or a statutory declaration form that is witnessed and signed appropriately.   
• Eligible writers encompass those who have never been published and those who have previously published individual works (short stories, poems, articles, or essays) in magazines, journals, anthologies, or newspapers, whether in print or online.
• For co-authored manuscripts, all authors must meet the eligibility criteria.
• Manuscripts can be in any literary category including novels, collections of short stories, collections of poems, works for children, biographies, autobiographies and memoirs, and general non-fiction.
• To confirm you're eligible to enter this category, download the full 2024 terms and conditions of entry document.

Prize 

$20,000 supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund, plus manuscript development and publication with University of Queensland Press.

Key dates

• 1 March: entries open
• 12 April: entries close
• 1 March–18 March: early bird entry period
• 19 March–12 April: standard entry period
• 1 August: shortlist announced
• 5 September: awards ceremony at State Library of Queensland 

Nomination requirements

1. Manuscript 

2. Cover letter (introduce yourself to the judges – give a brief biography, relevant writing or education experience, and any publication history)  

3. A one-page synopsis that summarises the manuscript 

How to enter

• Download and read the full 2024 terms and conditions of entry document.
• Read the nomination FAQs.
• Complete an online nomination form by 12 April.
• Attach all required documents.
• You will receive confirmation of your accepted nomination via email.