Entries are now open for the David Unaipon Award – an award that has launched the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers such as Doris Pilkington Garimara, Tara June Winch, Ellen van Neerven, Larissa Behrendt and Samuel Wagan Watson. 

The annual award, the first of its kind, was established in 1988 by University of Queensland Press (UQP) and honours Ngarrindjeri author David Unaipon, one of the earliest published Indigenous writers. 

Presented as part of the Queensland Literary Awards, State Library of Queensland proudly manages the awards in collaboration with sponsors, industry partners and the writing community, and the prize includes $15,000 prize money plus manuscript development and publication with UQP. It is open to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander unpublished writers.