Book awards: Australian Prime Minister's Literary Award

The Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards (PMLA) were announced at the end of 2007 by the incoming Rudd Ministry following the 2007 election. They are administered by the Minister for the Arts.

The awards were designed as "a new initiative celebrating the contribution of Australian literature to the nation's cultural and intellectual life." The awards are held annually and provide a tax-free prize of A$100,000 in each category, making it Australia's richest literary award in total, and among the richest literary prizes in the world. The award is given in the four categories of fiction, non-fiction, young adult and children's fiction, as selected by three judging panels. "The awards are open to works written by Australian citizens and permanent residents. Authors, publishers and literary agents are eligible to enter works, first published in the calendar year prior to the awards."[