South Australian author, Shannon Burns, has taken out the state’s highest literary honour in the 2024 South Australian Literary Awards for his powerful debut memoir Childhood.
The awards presented by the State Library of South Australia were announced on Tuesday 15 October 2024 at a ceremony in the iconic Mortlock Chamber with the Hon Peter Malinauskas MP, Premier of South Australia among distinguished guests.
Minister for Arts Andrea Michaels MP presented Burns with the coveted Premier’s Award for the best overall published work on behalf of the South Australian Government.
Also taking out the national Non-Fiction Award, this memoir vividly recounts the author's troubled early years in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, which judges described as an immersive and thought-provoking read.
“The book is startlingly intelligent, written with sophisticated prose, and deeply evokes its place and time. 'Childhood' stood out as the overall winner against a highly competitive group of winners of their forms and genres as a masterful literary accomplishment that utterly succeeded in concept and execution.”
This year’s new-look awards attracted a record 827 entries from across Australia, with 46 writers shortlisted by independent judging panels across six national categories and five South Australian categories, with a total prize pool of $167,500.
State Library of South Australia Director Geoff Strempel offered his congratulations to all winners and shortlisted finalists in the 2024 South Australian Literary Awards.
“As the custodian of stories, the State Library of South Australia is delighted to manage and host the awards and proud to celebrate the diverse writing culture and talents of all our shortlisted finalists and winners. I congratulate the authors and writers awarded with this prestigious literary honour.”
Minister for Arts Andrea Michaels MP said,
"The Malinauskas Government is committed to supporting South Australian authors and we wish to extend our congratulations to all shortlisted finalists and winners.
“South Australia is renowned for its brilliant creative minds and the South Australian Literary Awards provides a boost to authors to propel their literature careers.”
In other key categories at the awards, the Fiction Award went to SJ Norman for Permafrost, a collection of short stories that explore the shifting spaces of desire, loss and longing. Judges described the writing as affecting, eerie and unique, painting a visual understanding that draws the audience in and stays with them long after.
The Young Fiction Award went to Biffy James for Completely Normal (and Other Lies), a beautifully crafted novel that speaks to the here and now of young people’s experiences in a sophisticated and layered way.
Tristan Banks took out the Children’s Literature Award for Scar Town, a suspense-thriller mystery that hooks readers from the first page.
Gavin Yuan Gao was awarded the John Bray Poetry Award for their collection At The Altar of Touch, a brave exploration of gender and identity, grief and loss, characterised by breathtaking imagery and beautiful use of language.
This year’s South Australian Fellowships were awarded to Alexis West for Monologues, Poems and Ramblings for You, Them, Us… and Me…, Molly Murn for Radiance: A State of Being and James A Cooper for The Children of Elphinstone.
Local writer and director Melissa-Kelly Franklin won the Jill Blewett Playwright’s Award for her most recent play Paradise Lost. The winner of the Arts South Australia Wakefield Press Unpublished Manuscript Award is South Australian writer, Lyn Dickens for her work, Salt Upon the Water.
Winners in the 2024 South Australian Literary Awards
National Awards
Premier’s Award ($25,000) and Non-Fiction Award ($15,000)
Childhood by South Australian Shannon Burns (Text Publishing)
Fiction Award ($15,000)
Permafrost by SJ Norman (University of Queensland Press)
Young Adult Fiction Award ($15,000)
Completely Normal (and Other Lies) by Biffy James (Hardie Grant Publishing)
Children’s Literature Award ($15,000)
Scar Town by Tristan Bancks (Penguin Random House Australia)
John Bray Poetry Award ($15,000)
At the Altar of Touch by Gavin Yuan Gao (University of Queensland Press)
South Australian Awards and Fellowships
Jill Blewett Playwright’s Award ($12,500)
Paradise Lost by Melissa-Kelly Franklin
Arts South Australia Wakefield Press Unpublished Manuscript Award ($10,000)
Winner: Salt Upon the Water by Lyn Dickens
Highly commended: Dear Vincent by Heather Taylor Johnson
Tangkanungku Pintyanthi Fellowship ($15,000)
Winner: Monologues, Poems and Ramblings for You, Them, Us… and Me… by Alexis West
Barbara Hanrahan Fellowship ($15,000)
Winner: Radiance: A State of Being by Molly Murn
Highly commended: A Life Half Lived by Karen Wyld
Max Fatchen Fellowship ($15,000)
The Children of Elphinstone by James A Cooper
The South Australian Literary Awards are presented by the State Library of South Australia and supported by the Government of South Australia through Arts South Australia.
For more information, please visit saliteraryawards.com.au
Media enquiries
Lisa Reichstein
CALLIE
0481 238 560 or lisa@callie.com.au
Laura Peters
CALLIE
0404 976 299 or laura@callie.com.au