Prime Minister Julia Gillard today announced the winners of the 2011 Prime Minister's Literary Awards at the National Library of Australia in Canberra.
Debut novelist Stephen Daisley won the fiction prize for his novel Traitor and the award for non-fiction went to Rod Moss for The Hard Light of Day.
The young adult fiction category was won by Cath Crowley for Graffiti Moon.
The children's fiction award went to authorBoori Monty Pryor and illustrator Jan Ormerod for their picture book Shake a Leg.
The Prime Minister congratulated the winners who were selected from 20 shortlisted books across four categories.
The quality and originality of the entries demonstrates the literary talent of our writers.
Now in its fourth year, the Prime Minister's Literary Awards is one of our most prestigious cultural events.
For the first time, shortlisted authors share in the prize. Each winner receives a prize of $80,000 while each shortlisted author will receive $5,000.
The Prime Minister also announced that the Gillard Government will be providing $1.3 million to support the National Year of Reading in 2012.
Australia is already a nation of readers but more can be done to encourage people and families to re-engage with reading.
Run by libraries and library associations across the country, the National Year of Reading will connect people across Australia through shared reading experiences.
The funding includes money for a special workplace literacy program designed to encourage working adults to improve their reading skills in a supportive environment, as part of the National Year of Reading itinerary.
For more information about the Prime Minister's Literary Awards: www.arts.gov.au/pmliteraryawards
For more information about the National Year of Reading: www.love2read.org.au