Shortlisted titles Announced

State Library of Western Australia CEO and State Librarian, Margaret Allen today announced the shortlist for the 2014 Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards.

552 books were entered into the Awards over nine categories and it is the first year for the WA emerging writer’s category. The Awards had strong entries from WA publishing houses including Fremantle Press, Magabala Books and UWA Publishing and titles from notable authors Tim Winton and Shaun Tan.

The State Library of Western Australia and The West Australian are giving one lucky reader and a friend the chance to rub shoulders with Australia’s famous authors and publishers at the prestigious 2014 Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards ceremony on the 22 September 2014.

Western Australian Premier's Book Awards - 2014 Shortlist

Children’s Books

Baby Bedtime - Mem Fox; illustrator Emma Quay (Penguin Group Australia)
Light horse boy - Dianne Wolfer; illustrator Brian Simmonds (Fremantle Press)
My superhero - Chris Owen; illustrator Moira Court (Fremantle Press)
Stay well soon - Penny Tangey (University of Queensland Press)
The Swap - Jan Ormerod; illustrator Andrew Joyner (Little Hare Books)
Violet Vanishes - Ursula Dubosarsky; illustrator Annie White (Hachette Australia)
    

Digital Narrative

Afterdeath - Evangeline Than (Red Alpha Pty Ltd)
Authentic in All Caps - Christy Dena (Universe Creation 101)
Neomad - Stuart Campbell (Big hART)
Nothing you have done deserves such praise - Jason Nelson (Turbulence, New York City)
#PRISOM - Mez Breeze and Andy Campbell (Mez Breeze Design and Dreaming Methods)

Fiction

All the birds, singing - Evie Wyld (Random House Australia)
Coal Creek - Alex Miller (Allen & Unwin)
Elemental - Amanda Curtin (UWA Publishing)
Eyrie - Tim Winton (Penguin Group Australia)
The life and loves of Lena Gaunt - Tracy Farr (Fremantle Press)
The narrow road to the deep north - Richard Flanagan (Random House Australia)
    

Non-fiction

Broken Nation - Joan Beaumont (Allen & Unwin)
Boy, Lost: A Family Memoir - Kristina Olsson (University of Queensland Press)
Citizen Emperor - Philip Dwyer (Bloomsbury Publishing pty ltd)
Night games: sex, power and sport - Anna Krien (Black Inc)
Out of the Mountains: the coming age of the urban guerrilla - David Kilcullen (Scribe Publications)
The forgotten rebels of Eureka - Clare Wright (Text Publishing)
     

Poetry

Hotel Hyperion - Lisa Gorton (Giramondo)
Six different windows - Paul Hetherington (UWA Publishing)
Stone Scar Air Water - Judy Johnson (Walleah Press)
Unearthed - Tracy Ryan (Fremantle Press)
Walking: new and selected poems - Kevin Brophy (Five Islands Press)
Xⁿ - Carol Jenkins (Puncher and Wattmann)
     

Scripts

Forget Me Not - Tom Holloway (Currency Press)
Maggie Stone - Caleb Lewis (Caleb Lewis)
Prompter - Sam Fox and Patrick Pittman (Hydra Poesis)   
The Beast - Eddie Perfect (Anti-Semantic Pty Ltd)
The Bull, the Moon and the Coronet of Stars - Van Badham (Currency Press)
The Secret River - Andrew Bovell (Currency Press)

Highly commended

An Accidental Soldier - Blake Ayshford (Cameron Creswell)

Western Australian Emerging Writers

Fractured - Dawn Barker (Hachette Australia)
Letters to the End of Love - Yvette Walker (University of Queensland Press)
Salt Story: of sea-dogs and fisherwomen - Sarah Drummond (Fremantle Press)
Stella’s Sea - Sally-Ann Jones (UWA Publishing)
   

West Australian History

A town is born: The story of Fitzroy Crossing - Steve Hawke (Magabala Books)
Kerry Stokes: Self-made Man - Margaret Simons (Penguin Group Australia)
Koombana Days - Annie Boyd (Fremantle Press)
Perth - David Whish-Wilson (NewSouth Publishing)
Seeking Wisdom: a centenary history of The University of Western Australia - Jenny Gregory (UWA Publishing)
The Marriage Knot: Marriage and divorce in colonial Western Australia 1829-1900 - Penelope Hetherington (UWA Publishing)
 

Writing for Young Adults

Alex as well - Alyssa Brugman (Text Publishing)
Joyous and Moonbeam - Richard Yaxley (Omnibus Books)
Life in Outer Space - Melissa Keil (Hardie Grant Egmont)
My Life as an Alphabet - Barry Jonsberg (Allen & Unwin)
The Incredible Here and Now - Felicity Castagna (Giramondo)
You don't even know - Sue Lawson (Black Dog Books)

Highly commended

Cry blue murder - Kimberley Kane and Marion Roberts (University of Queensland Press)

The Premier’s Prize will be awarded to the best overall entry from all category winners.

Find out more information about the categories and prize money.

Any queries about the awards can be directed to the State Library of Western Australia:
Email: premiersbookawards@slwa.wa.gov.au
Telephone: (08) 9427 3151