The Australian Women's Register

The Marian Eldridge Award is a national award to encourage an aspiring female writer to undertake a literary activity such as a short course of study, or to complete a project, or attend a writers’ week or a conference. There is no age limit.

The award was established in 1998 under the auspices of the National Foundation for Australian Women, as a legacy of Marian Eldridge (1 February 1936 – 14 February 1997), an acclaimed short story writer, a novelist, poet and teacher who spent most of her creative writing years in Canberra, where inter alia she was instrumental in establishing the ACT Writers’ Centre.

In the last months of her life she planned a gift to establish a professional development award to nurture writers. She said that the recipient should not be established but someone whose writing showed promise, and that the writing need not be fiction. Marian said that “when trying to assist aspiring writers ‘every little bit helps’ and that such recognition would be an important milestone in a developing literary career.

An Advisory Group selected by Marian Eldridge’s family decides each year on guidelines for applicants, assesses applications and selects the recipient of the award.

The first four competitions ($1000 cash prize) were confined to residents of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and New South Wales (NSW), and brought in a total of 78 applications. The winners of those competitions of were:
•Sarah St Vincent Welch (1998)
•Julie Simpson (1999)
•Rose de Angelis (2000)
•Elanna Herbert (2001)

A wider Advisory Group has since been established, which now includes representatives from the National Library of Australia, the School of Creative Communication at the University of Canberra and the ACT Cultural Council. From its fifth year, the award was open to applicants throughout Australia. National competition winners have been:
•Annah Faulkner (2002/2003)
•Caroline Lee (2005).

The award amount is currently $1500.

(This entry is sponsored by generous donation from Christine Foley.)

The ABC Radio Rural Woman of the Year Awards were established in 1994 as an initiative to recognise the achievements and valuable contribution that women make to rural communities and primary industry. Journalist Lisa Palu organised an event in Queensland that went national for four years.

In 2000 the awards were relaunched with government support. The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) supports the award.

The Australian Laureate Fellowships scheme is administered by the Australian Research Council, and is part of the ARC National Competitive Grants Program.

The Australian Laureate Fellowships scheme ‘reflects the Commonwealth’s commitment to support excellence in research by attracting world-class researchers and research leaders to key positions, and creating new rewards and incentives for the application of their talents in Australia.’

On 18 November 2010 the Prime Minister of Australia announced that the Australian Research Council (ARC) would award two additional research fellowships in the ARC Australian Laureate Fellowships scheme. ARC Chief Executive Officer, Professor Margaret Sheil, said ‘the new fellowships are specifically designed to address the current low proportion of applications to the scheme by female researchers’.

The two fellowships are the Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellowship for the humanities, arts and social sciences, and Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship for science and technology. The fellowships are awarded to ‘outstanding female researchers to enable them to undertake activities to support and mentor women in these disciplines’.

On 18 November 2010 the Prime Minister of Australia announced that the Australian Research Council (ARC) would award two additional research fellowships in the ARC Australian Laureate Fellowships scheme. ARC Chief Executive Officer, Professor Margaret Sheil, said ‘the new fellowships are specifically designed to address the current low proportion of applications to the scheme by female researchers’.

The two fellowships are the Kathleen Fitzpatrick Australian Laureate Fellowship for the humanities, arts and social sciences, and Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship for science and technology. The fellowships are awarded to ‘outstanding female researchers to enable them to undertake activities to support and mentor women in these disciplines’.

The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to acknowledge inspirational Victorian women for their contributions, leadership and achievements.

‘The Gladys Elphick Awards celebrate the life achievements of the late Aunty Gladys Elphick and her fellow members of the Council of Aboriginal Women of South Australia. The awards acknowledge the contemporary achievements of Aboriginal women who work tirelessly to advance the status of Aboriginal people through a wide range of mediums.’

The Mary Gilmore Award was created in 1956 by trade unions ‘to encourage literature “significant to the life and aspirations of the Australian people.”

Since its inception, awards have been presented in several categories, including: novels, poetry, a three-act play and a short story.

Currently, as of 2019, the Association for the Study of Australian Literature (ASAL) administers the award, which is now awarded for poetry only.

The Pixie O’Harris Award is named in honour of children’s book author and illustrator Pixie O’Harris and was first awarded in 1994 to Myra Lee.

The award ‘recognises publishers, editors, creators, booksellers, publicists and other industry representatives who have worked consistently in the field of children’s literature, demonstrated commitment beyond the call of duty, and who have developed a reputation for their contribution.’

The Stella Prize is a major literary award that celebrates Australian women’s writing. The prize is named after iconic author Stella Maria Sarah ‘Miles’ Franklin and was first awarded in 2013.

The aim of the pretigious Nita B Kibble Literary Awards (also known as the Kibble Awards) is ‘to encourage Australian women writers to improve and advance literature for the benefit of our community.’

The Kibble Awards are presented to established authors, for both fiction and non-fiction works which fall in the genre of ‘life writing’.

The Edna Ryan Awards were established in 1998 by the Women’s Electoral Lobby NSW. The Awards honour Edna Ryan’s life and work and are awarded to women who have made a feminist difference.