A veteran Canberra poet and a rising novelist were among the big winners at the 2024 ACT Literary Awards, hosted at Canberra Contemporary Art Space on the lakeside, by Marion Ink on Thursday.

The awards, which cover both self-published and traditionally published works, were supported by the Anderson Pender Foundation with monetary prizes, so that for the first time each of the nine winners in the Book Awards section, as well as the Marion Halligan Award winner, received $500.

The inaugural Marion Halligan Award, honouring the life and work of one of the two Marions (the other is Marion Mahony-Griffin) after whom the writing organisation is named, went to Paul Hetherington for Sleeplessness, a poetic exploration of insomnia for the hours between 3am and the early morning, published by Pierian Springs.

This new award recognises works that demonstrate uniqueness, literary excellence, and/or transcend genre boundaries and judges could nominate works from any category for consideration.

The Marion Fellowship Award, which involves a mentorship with novelist Isobelle Carmody, went to writer and game maker, Callie Doyle-Scott, for her novel manuscript, Soup for the Moon, described as “immersive and enchanting”.

Of special note was the Highly Commended award, accepted by his brother, made to the late scholar Angus Trumble for his final work, a book on Helena Rubenstein.

The evening also included the Anne Edgeworth Fellowship Award and the June Shenfield National Poetry Awards.

The Anne Edgeworth Writers Fellowship honours the late Anne Edgeworth, (Anne Godfrey-Smith) poet, writer, theatre director, academic, conservationist and activist for reconciliation and was this year awarded jointly ($2500 each) awarded to Jemima Parker to assist in undertaking a mentorship with Pip Harry, and Gill Watson to help progress towards completing the first draft of  This Could be Ours, an artists’ novel set in the Canberra and Queanbeyan-Palerang region.

The June Shenfield National Poetry Award is an annual, nationwide prize to encourage the writing, publishing, and reading of poetry among emerging Australian poets.

First place went to Momentum, by Cate Furey (ACT) $1000, second place to Wasabi Peas, by Lucinda Ferguson (NSW) $700, and third place to Now Who Let These Thoughts In?, by Hayden William (NSW) $500.

The fiction shortlist

• The Measure of Sorrow, J. Ashley-Smith (Meerkat Press)
• The Last Famine, Elisa Cristallo
• The Last Love Note, Emma Grey (Penguin Random House)
• Untethered, Ayesha Inoon (HQ Fiction: An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
• Girl in a Pink Dress, Kylie Needham (Penguin Random House)
  Winner (traditionally published)
  Girl in a Pink Dress, Kylie Needham
  Highly Commended (traditionally published)
  Untethered, Ayesha Inoon
  Highly Commended (self-published)
  The Last Famine, Elisa Cristallo

The nonfiction shortlist 

• Bennelong & Phillip: A History Unravelled, Kate Fullagar (Scribner)
• Helena Rubinstein: The Australian Years, Angus Trumble (La Trobe University Press/Black Inc.)
• Donald Horne: A Life in the Lucky Country, Ryan Cropp (La Trobe University Press/Black Inc.)
• The Sparrows of Kabul, Fred Smith (Puncher & Wattmann)
  Winner (traditionally published)
  Bennelong & Phillip: A History Unravelled, Kate Fullagar
  Highly Commended (traditionally published)
  Helena Rubinstein: The Australian Years, Angus Trumble
  Winner (self-published)
  Kriegies: The Australian Airmen of Stalag Luft III, Kristen Alexander
  Highly Commended (self-published)
  What Cancer Said: And What I Said Back, Kellie Nissen

The poetry shortlist 

• Meaty Bones, K A Nelson (Recent Work Press)
• sifting fire writing coast, Elanna Herbert (Walleah Press)
• Sleeplessness, Paul Hetherington (Pierian Springs Press)
• The Moon the Bone: Selected Poems 1986-2022, Tim Metcalf (Ginninderra Press)
• Apostles of Anarchy, Sandra Renew (Recent Work Press)
  Winner (traditionally published)
  The Moon the Bone, Tim Metcalf
  Highly Commended (traditionally published)
  Meaty Bones, K A Nelson
  Highly Commended (traditionally published)
  Apostles of Anarchy, Sandra Renew

The children’s book shortlist

• The Turtle and the Flood, Jackie French and Danny Snell (ill.) (HarperCollins Publishers)
• Strong Little Platypus, Emma Janssen (Twinkl Originals)
• We Didn’t Think It Through, Gary Lonesborough (A&U Children’s)
• Wildlife Compendium of the World, Tania McCartney (Hardie Grant Explore)
• Neil, the Amazing Sea Cucumber, Amelia McInerney and Lucinda Gifford (ill.) (Affirm Kids)
• Phonobet, Kathy Weeden and Kim Drane (ill.) (NLA Publishing)
• Surprise at the End of Onkaparinga Lane, Rhian Williams and Martina Heiduczek (ill.)
  (Walker Books Australia)
  Winner – Picture Book Award (traditionally published)
  The Turtle and the Flood, Jackie French and Danny Snell (ill.)
  Winner – Nonfiction Children’s Book Award (traditionally published)
  Wildlife Compendium of the World, Tania McCartney
  Winner – Older Readers Award (traditionally published)
  We Didn’t Think It Through, Gary Lonesborough
  Highly Commended (traditionally published)
  Phonobet, Kathy Weeden and Kim Drane (ill.)
  Highly Commended (traditionally published)
  Surprise at the End of Onkaparinga Lane, Rhian Williams and Martina Heiduczek (ill.)
  Highly Commended – Education (traditionally published)
  Strong Little Platypus, Emma Janssen
  Winner (self-published)
  That Book About Space Stuff, David Conley
  Highly Commended (self-published)
  Phoenix and Ralph, Barbie Robinson and Ian Robertson (ill.)