Drum roll please…it’s time to announce this year’s winner of the Penguin Literary Prize

The winner of the 2023 Penguin Literary Prize has been announced. It is a prize awarded to an unpublished manuscript, and this year, the winner is Michelle See-Tho, for her novel Jade and Emerald. See-Tho’s novel was chosen from 300 submissions, and it is about a lonely girl who becomes friends with a rich, hedonistic socialite. Subsequently, this relationship will put strain on a fraught relationship with her strict mother. See-Tho’s novel was then chosen from a shortlist of six books, and the manuscript judging panel consisted of:

• Meredith Curnow, publisher at PRH Australia.
• Kathryn Knight, senior editor at PRH Australia.
• Sarah Custer, the purchasing manager from Boffins Books.
• Alison Huber, the head book buyer at Readings.
• Ben Hunter, fiction and children’s book specialist at Booktopia.

The Penguin Literary Prize finds new voices and stories that allow different lives and experiences in Australia to shine, and according to Meredith Curnow, she says that See-Tho’s book is ‘bristles with life and potential and some powerful commentary too.’

And Alison Huber from Readings was impressed with Michelle See-Tho’s vibrant writing style – which stood out as a fresh new Australian voice. Huber also said that the story in Jade and Emerald explores family, desire, and class in an imaginative and innovative way. She is also excited to see it in print, and Jade and Emerald will be published in 2024. See-Tho has won $20,000 as part of the prize, and entries for next year will open in late 2023.

The Penguin Literary Prize is in its sixth year and was launched to develop and nurture new Australian authors in literary fiction and has received entries across a range of genres and subjects over the past six years. The past winners are:

• Hitch by Kathryn Hind, published in 2019.
• The Spill by Imbi Neeme, published in 2020.
• The Rabbits by Sophie Overett, published in 2021.
• Denizen by James McKenzie-Watson, published in 2022.
• On A Bright Hillside in Paradise by Annette Higgs, published in 2023.

If you are interested in entering, keep an eye on Penguin’s website and socials for when entries open this year.