WELCOME ANNOUNCEMENT ON PREMIER'S BOOK AWARDS

As foreseen at the 20 January 2010 Cultural Forum follow up meeting with Minister Day,

the Permier's Book Awards have been reistated and revitalised.

A comprehensive review of the two awards has now concluded and Western Australian Culture and the Arts Minister, John Day announced on Friday 5 February that the Western Australian Premier's Book Awards will receive an additional $80,000 a year in State Government funding. The Minister said he made the decision to strengthen the successful and popular WA Premier's Book Awards (PBA), while the Australia-Asia Literary Award (AALA) would be discontinued.

The Executive Summary of the Report of the Review of the Western Australian Premier's and Australia-Asia Literary Award Schemes
is available on the Department of Culture and the Arts website   <http://www.dca.wa.gov.au/news/stories/front_page_items/?a=45483>

or phone 9224 7300.

The full Minister's statement and related releases can be viewed here

http://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/WACabinetMinistersSearch.aspx?ItemId=133092&minister=Day&admin=Barnett

http://www.slwa.wa.gov.au/about_us/premiers_book_awards

http://www.dca.wa.gov.au/news/stories/front_page_items/literary_review_strengthens_western_australian_premiers_book_awards

HISTORY AWARD

Beginning in 2004, the Minister for Culture and Arts agreed to establish a separate category for History in the Premier’s Book Awards.  This will be over and above the existing two Non-Fiction Awards and will be worth $7,500. It is intended that candidates for the History Award will enter the Non-Fiction category, but will indicate if they wish to be considered for the History Award.  Then strict criteria (as recommended by the History Council) will determine their eligibility.  In the event that they are eligible for the History Award, but are not short-listed, they will be considered for the two Non-Fiction Awards.

The Award Winners to date have been:

2006 - Cleared Out: First Contact in the Western Desert by Sue Davenport and Peter Johnson

2007 - The Workshops. A History of the Midland Government Railway Workshops edited by Patric Bertola and Bobbie Oliver

2008 - Cottesloe: A Town of Distinction by Ruth Marchant James