The $20,000 Vogel’s Literary Award for 2020 has been won by Kate Kruimink’s novel A Treacherous Country
The Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award is a prize for an unpublished manuscript written by a writer under the age of thirty-five. Along with a publication contract with Allen & Unwin, the winning author receives $20,000 in prize money and an advance against royalties. Kruimink’s manuscript was chosen from a shortlist of four, which included Emily Brugman (The Islands), Belinda Lopez (Tete) and Maree Spratt (The Followers).
As with last week’s Stella Prize announcement, the winner was revealed in a live webcast on Monday evening, presented by Australian musician and memoirist Clare Bowditch. This is the first time the prize has been awarded since 2018, with Allen & Unwin choosing not to name a winner in 2019, citing a lack of quality in the prize submissions.Not so this year – the judges had nothing but glowing praise for Kruimink and A Treacherous Country, with judge Tegan Bennett Daylight calling it ‘Witty, warm and lively.’