Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction

The Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction, formerly known as the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction, is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award. As of 2011 it has an remuneration of 25,000. The winner of this category prize vies with 4 other category winners for overall Victorian Prize for Literature valued at an additional 100,000.

The prize was formerly known as the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction from inception until 2010, when the awards were re-established under the stewardship of the Wheeler Centre and restarted with new prize amounts and a new name. The Palmer Prize was valued at 30,000 in 2010. The award was named after Vance Palmer, a leading literary critic. Palmer wrote reviews and presented a program called Current Books Worth Reading on ABC Radio. He also wrote books about Australian cultural life, including National Portraits (1940) A.G. Stephens: His Life and Work, (1941) Frank Wilmot (1942), Old Australian bush ballads (co-authored with Margaret Sutherland) (1951) and The Legend of the Nineties (1954). He was appointed in Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Commonwealth Literary Fund in 1947. The Palmer Prize was managed by the State Library of Victoria from 1997 to 2010.

Winners and shortlists Winners of the Overall Victorian Prize for Literature have a blue ribbon (). +Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction, winners and finalistsYearAuthorTitleResultRef.2011 That Deadman DanceWinnerFive BellsFinalistWhen Colts RanFinalistFinalistBright and Distant ShoresFinalistFinalist2012Foal's BreadWinnerAll That I AmFinalistFinalistCold LightFinalistFinalistMateship with BirdsFinalist2014Coal CreekWinnerQuestions of TravelFinalistFinalistBurial RitesFinalistEyrieFinalistFinalist2015To Name Those LostWinnerOnly the AnimalsFinalistGolden BoysFinalistFinalistDemonsFinalistNFinalist2016The World Without UsWinnerFever of AnimalsFinalistFinalistCladeFinalistForever YoungFinalistFinalist2017Between a Wolf and a DogWinnerFinalistWood GreenFinalistWaitingFinalistFinalistThe Love of a Bad ManFinalist2018Australia DayWinnerFinalistFinalistThe ChokeFinalistFinalistTabooFinalist2019WinnerFlamesFinalistIronbarkFinalistFinalistFinalistToo Much LipFinalist2020DamascusWinnerFinalistAct of GraceFinalistSimpson ReturnsFinalistFinalist2021 WinnerFinalistOur ShadowsFinalistFinalist2022SmokehouseWinnerAfter StoryFinalistBodies of LightFinalistEcholaliaFinalistFinalistPermafrostFinalist2023 Cold Enough for SnowWinnerFinalistThis Devastating FeverFinalistAn Exciting and Vivid Inner LifeFinalistFinalist2024EdenglassieWinnerOnly Sound RemainsFinalistSerengottiFinalistWallFinalistStone Yard DevotionalFinalistBut the GirlFinalist2025Highway 13WinnerThe BurrowFinalistThe EchoesFinalistHost CityFinalistTheory & PracticeFinalistWoo WooFinalist2026FiercelandWinner, Leonie Norrington, Djawa Burarrwanga & Djawundil MaymuruA Piece of Red ClothFinalistThe ImmigrantsFinalistCannonFinalistThe Sun was Electric LightFinalistThe Gowkaran Tree in the Middle of Our KitchenFinalist

Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction (1985–2010) - Winners and shortlists 1985–1989 YearAuthorTitleResultRef. 1985 Antipodes Winner 1986 Illywhacker Winner Kate Grenville Lilian's Story Finalist Christina Stead Ocean of Story Finalist Janette Turner Hospital Borderline Finalist Tim Winton That Eye, the Sky Finalist 1987 Second Sight Winner Kate Grenville Dreamhouse Finalist Rod Jones Julia Paradise Finalist 1988 Holden's Performance Winner Peter Carey Oscar and Lucinda Finalist David Ireland Bloodfather Finalist 1989 Captivity Captive Winner Marion Campbell Not Being Miriam Finalist Nigel Krauth The Bathing Machine Called the Twentieth Century Finalist

1990–1999 YearAuthorTitleResultRef.1990 Oceana Fine Winner Thea Astley Reaching Tin River Finalist Susan Johnson Flying Lessons Finalist 1991 Still Murder Winner Nigel Krauth JF Was Here Finalist Sam Watson The Kadaitcha Sung Finalist 1992 Double-Wolf Winner Peter Carey The Tax Inspector Finalist Jan McKemmish Only Lawyers Dancing Finalist 1993 After China Winner Liam Davison Soundings Finalist Marion Halligan Lovers' Knots Finalist 1994 What I Have Written Winner Elizabeth Jolley The Georges' Wife Finalist Tom Shapcott Mona's Gift Finalist 1995 Dark Places Winner Brian Castro Drift Finalist Tim Winton The Riders Finalist 1996 Camille's Bread Winner Shane Maloney The Brush-Off Finalist Sue Woolfe Leaning Towards Infinity Finalist1997 Winner Robert Dessaix Night Letters Finalist John Scott Before I Wake Finalist1998Winner Elizabeth Jolley Lovesong Finalist 1999 Mr. Darwin's Shooter Winner Murray Bail Eucalyptus Finalist Tom Gilling The Sooterkin Finalist

2000–2010 YearAuthorTitleResultRef.2000 Out of Ireland Winner Michael Meehan The Salt of Broken Tears Finalist Brenda Walker Poe's Cat Finalist 2001 True History of the Kelly Gang Winner Rodney Hall The Day We Had Hitler Home Finalist Frank Moorhouse Dark Palace Finalist 2002 Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish Winner Chloe Hooper A Child's Book of True Crime Finalist John Scott The Architect Finalist 2003Shanghai DancingWinnerFinalistOf a Boy Finalist2004Slow WaterWinnerElizabeth CostelloFinalistFinalist2005SurrenderWinnerSixty LightsFinalistAffectionFinalist2006Theft: A Love StoryWinnerSlow ManFinalistFinalistEveryman’s Rules for Scientific LivingFinalist2007CarpentariaWinnerFinalistFeather ManFinalist2008WinnerDiary of a Bad YearFinalistFinalist2009WinnerFinalistDog BoyFinalistThe BoatFinalistBreathFinalist2010TruthWinnerParrot and Olivier in AmericaFinalistFinalistSummertimeFinalistJasper JonesFinalist

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