MUD Literary Prize

The MUD Literary Prize is an Australian literary award awarded annually at Adelaide Writers' Week since 2018 to a debut literary novel. It is sponsored by a philanthropic organisation, the MUD Literary Club, which was founded in 2012.

The organisation

The MUD Literary Club was set up by a group of philanthropists headed by businessman Tony Parkinson in 2012, its acronym arising from "Mates of Ubud", a group of people who banded together to fund the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, which is held annually in Ubud, Bali, after a large corporate sponsor withdrew.[1] A friend of Parkinson, Sue Tweddell, became an enthusiastic driver of the project.[2] The new committee decided to also direct funds to Adelaide Writers' Week, an annual free event held in Adelaide, South Australia, and since then has sponsored the appearance of two authors at each festival. One of these is an established major Australian author, and the other an emerging talent.[1]

It is the only philanthropic organisation supporting literature in Australia, and its collaboration with Writers' Week has been welcomed by the organisers. It continues to raise funds by hosting literary lunches featuring authors such as Richard Flanagan, Thomas Keneally, Hannah Kent, Kate Grenville, and many others,[1] and also relies on several corporate sponsors as well as the subscriptions of its members, who pay A$500 person per year.[3]

A session entitled "MUD Literary Club: The 10th Anniversary", chaired by David Sly, was scheduled for the 2022 edition of Writers' Week,[2] featuring Thomas Keneally, Hannah Kent, and Christos Tsiolkas.[4]

The prize

The MUD Literary Prize is awarded at Adelaide Writers' Week in March each year,[1] and is worth A$5,000 in cash as of 2021 (up from A$3,000 in 2020[5]) and the prestige, exposure and recognition that comes with being presented at a major literary festival.[3] [6] In 2023, the prize was increased to A$10,000.[7]

The inaugural prize was presented to Sarah Schmidt on March 5, 2018 at the Adelaide Writer's Week. Her work, a crime novel based on the notorious suspected murderer Lizzie Borden, reimagined the homicide of her parents and aftermath in 1892, and described the events from her and her sister's perspective.[8]

Since then, a shortlist and winner have been announced every year through 2023.

Prizewinners

Recipients

Shortlist
Year Author Work Result Ref
2018 Sarah Schmidt See What I Have Done Won [12]
Claire G. Coleman Terra Nullius Shortlist [12]
Rachel Leary Bridget Crack
2019 Trent Dalton Boy Swallows Universe Won [13]
Peter Cochrane Making of Martin Sparrow Commended [13]
Robbie Arnott Flames Shortlist
Michelle Johnston Dustfall
Angela Meyer A Superior Spectre
2020 Sienna Brown Master of My Fate Won [14]
Tabitha Bird Lifetime of Impossible Days Shortlist [14]
Julie Keys The Artist’s Portrait
Molly Murn Heart of the Grass Tree
Kate Richards Fusion
2021 Pip Williams The Dictionary of Lost Words Won [15]
Katherine Tamiko Arguile The Things She Owned Shortlist [15]
Cath Moore Metal Fish Falling Snow
Catherine Noske The Salt Madonna
Andrew Pippos Lucky’s
Nardi Simpson Song of the Crocodile
2022 Diana Reid Love & Virtue Won [16]
Hannah Bent When Things Are Alive They Hum Shortlist [16]
Jacqueline Bublitz Before You Knew My Name
Campbell Mattinson We Were Not Men
2023 Tracey Lien All That’s Left Unsaid Won [11]
Mandy Beaumont The Furies Shortlist [11]
Sharron Booth The Silence of Water
Emily Brugman The Islands
Jessica Stanley A Great Hope

References
  1. Sly, David (21 February 2020). "For a group of Adelaide philanthropists, the value of supporting Australian literature is as clear as MUD". The Adelaide Review. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  2. Sutton, Malcolm (2 March 2022). "Celebrating a decade of MUD Literary Club support for 'rank and file' writers at Adelaide Writers' Week". ABC News. ABC Radio Adelaide. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  3. "Home". MUD Literary Club. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  4. "The MUD Literary Club: The 10th Anniversary". Adelaide Festival. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  5. "2020 MUD Literary Prize winner announced". Adelaide Festival. 21 February 2020. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  6. "MUD Literary Prize". AustLit. University of Queensland. 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  7. "MUD Literary Prize increases to $10K, 2023 shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  8. Jordan, Justine (27 April 2017). "See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt review – inside the mind of Lizzie Borden". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  9. Keen, Suzie (18 February 2021). "Adelaide author wins literary prize for debut novel". InDaily. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  10. "'Love & Virtue' wins 2022 MUD Literary Prize". Books+Publishing. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  11. "'All That's Left Unsaid' wins 2023 MUD Literary Prize". Books+Publishing. 6 March 2023. Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  12. "Schmidt wins inaugural MUD Literary Prize for debut fiction". Books+Publishing. 6 March 2018. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  13. "Dalton wins 2019 MUD Literary Prize for debut fiction". Books+Publishing. 25 February 2019. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  14. "Brown wins 2020 MUD Literary Prize for debut fiction". Books+Publishing. 24 February 2020. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  15. "Williams wins 2021 MUD Literary Prize". Books+Publishing. 23 February 2021. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  16. "'Love & Virtue' wins 2022 MUD Literary Prize". Books & Publishing. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
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