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Queensland Premier's Award for a Work of State Significance
About the award
Part of the Queensland Literary Awards, the Queensland Premier's Award for a Work of State Significance is for an outstanding work by a Queensland author or an outstanding work by an Australian writer that tells a Queensland story.
Eligibility
- This category is open to all Australian authors.
- Judges will award this prize to a published book of the highest literary merit that:
- tells a significant Queensland story and/or
- is a work by a Queensland author if it has increased the awareness and profile of Queensland writing.
- Eligible works include published short story collections, poetry collections, novels, children’s books, young adult books, plays, biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, and other works of non-fiction.
- Must be first published between 1 May 2024 and 30 April 2025 by an Australian citizen or resident who is living at the time of nomination.
- To confirm you're eligible to enter this category, download the full 2025 terms and conditions of entry document.
Prize
$30,000 supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland
2025 key dates
- 3 March: entries open
- 22 April: entries close at 5 pm AEST
- 3 March–17 March: early bird entry period
- 18 March–22 April: standard entry period
- 30 April: deadline for books to arrive at State Library
- Shortlists will be announced soon
- Winners will be announced soon
How to enter
- Download and read the full 2025 terms and conditions of entry document.
- Read the nomination FAQs.
- Complete an online nomination form by 5 pm AEST on 22 April 2025.
- Pay the nomination fee (early bird $45.00 including GST or standard $55.00 including GST).
- Send 5 copies of the book to State Library:
Attn: Queensland Literary Awards
c/- State Library of Queensland
Cultural Centre, Stanley Place
SOUTH BRISBANE QLD 4101
Find other delivery options in the terms and conditions of entry. State Library must receive all books by 30 April 2025.
You will receive confirmation of your accepted nomination via email.
More information
Congratulations to the 2024 finalists!
Edenglassie – Winner
Melissa Lucashenko (University of Queensland Press)
Judges' comments:
Edenglassie explores our tangled roots of land, belonging, and resistance through a rich amalgam of past and present Aboriginal lives. Making use of extensive research, Lucashenko recreates the early frontier in vivid detail, crafting a narrative that resonates deeply and elevates our understanding of Queensland’s soul.
Borderland
Graham Akhurst (UWA Publishing)
Judges' comments:
Borderland is a genre-bending debut that deftly explores identity and belonging. Set against Brisbane and the rural town of Gambari, Akhurst's vivid storytelling follows Jono, an Indigenous teenager seeking to connect with his Country and community. Akhurst's confident and insightful voice makes this an exciting standout in contemporary Australian literature.
Fat Girl Dancing
Kris Kneen (Text Publishing)
Judges' comments:
Fat Girl Dancing is an inventive, unflinching, and unguarded memoir debunking the idea of ‘fatness’. From the schoolyard to sex, photography to self-portraiture, deep-sea diving to burlesque, Kneen offers an insightful deconstruction of flesh and mind, and its impacts on our lives when our body is othered.
Poof
J.M. Tolcher (James Tolcher)
Judges' comments:
Poof is a brave, funny account of a gay man navigating the highs and lows of life and finally finding his place. Tolcher takes us on a journey of intrigue, manipulation, seduction and then empowerment and integrity. Full of real insight and skilfully written, Poof is an impressive debut from a self-published author.
Personal Score: Sport, Culture, Identity
Ellen van Neerven (University of Queensland Press)
Judges' comments:
In Personal Score, van Neerven paints an intimate portrait of a young person navigating the twin worlds of sport and sexuality. Through compelling prose and poetry, this character-driven narrative goes deep into First Nations resilience and self-discovery, offering a transformative reflection on the contemporary Australian experience.
Past winners
2024
Edenglassie
Melissa Lucashenko
(University of Queensland Press)
2023
The Jaguar
Sarah Holland-Batt
(University of Queensland Press)
2022
Wounded Country
Quentin Beresford
(NewSouth Publishing)
2021
Biting the Clouds
Fiona Foley
(University of Queensland Press)
2020
Heartland: How Rugby League Explains Queensland
Joe Gorman
(University of Queensland Press)
2019
Too Much Lip
Melissa Lucashenko
(University of Queensland Press)
Queensland Literary Awards
Explore Queensland Literary Awards, showcasing exceptional authors, both emerging and established, from across Australia.