Penguin Literary Prize 2022 Winner Announced And the winner is . . . Annette Higgs!

on Jun 15, 2022

On a Bright Hillside in Paradise by Sydney-based writer Annette Higgs has been named the winner of the 2022 Penguin Literary Prize for an unpublished novel by Penguin Random House Australia.

Higgs' award-winning novel is about a family of convict ancestors in Tasmania and the changes they experience when Christian Brethren missionaries arrive to host revival meetings in local barns. The author is awarded $20,000 as well as a publishing contract with PRH Australia.

'On a Bright Hillside in Paradise won because of its distinctive voice, inventive structure, lucid prose, and crystal-clear representation of a time, place, and lived experience so close to ours and yet so far away,' said publishing director Justin Ractliffe. It tackles major topics about faith and family while remaining anchored in the hopes and desires of its brilliantly depicted people.'

The winning manuscript was selected from among 240 submissions and a shortlist of six. 'Winning the Penguin Literary Prize is an honour,' Higgs remarked. 'I'm overjoyed—my feet haven't even hit the ground yet.' I spent years writing the novel, pouring my heart and soul into it and wondering if anyone would ever read it. To have this story released into the world and receive such acclaim is the fulfilment of all my hopes for it.'

Ractliffe, PRH Australia publisher Meredith Curnow, Dymocks national category manager (fiction & travel) Kate Mayor, Black Swan Bookshop owner Alexander Okenyo, and 2021 ABA Young Bookseller of the Year Genevieve Kruyssen, events manager at Where the Wild Things Are in Brisbane, served on the judging panel for this year's prize.

The Penguin Literary Prize, now in its fifth year, was established to discover, foster, and develop young Australian literary fiction authors. Previous winners include Kathryn Hind's Hitch, Imbi Neeme's The Spill, Sophie Overett's The Rabbits, and James McKenzie Watson's Denizen, which will be published in July 2022.

In 2023, PRH Australia will release On a Bright Hillside in Paradise.