MUD Literary Prize

The MUD Literary Prize is an Australian literary award awarded annually at Adelaide Writers' Week since 2018 to a debut literary novel. It is sponsored by a philanthropic organisation, the MUD Literary Club, which was founded in 2012.

The organisation

The MUD Literary Club was set up by a group of philanthropists headed by businessman Tony Parkinson in 2012, its acronym arising from "Mates of Ubud", a group of people who banded together to fund the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, which is held annually in Ubud, Bali, after a large corporate sponsor withdrew.[1] A friend of Parkinson, Sue Tweddell, became an enthusiastic driver of the project.[2] The new committee decided to also direct funds to Adelaide Writers' Week, an annual free event held in Adelaide, South Australia, and since then has sponsored the appearance of two authors at each festival. One of these is an established major Australian author, and the other an emerging talent.[1]

It is the only philanthropic organisation supporting literature in Australia, and its collaboration with Writers' Week has been welcomed by the organisers. It continues to raise funds by hosting literary lunches featuring authors such as Richard Flanagan, Thomas Keneally, Hannah Kent, Kate Grenville, and many others,[1] and also relies on several corporate sponsors as well as the subscriptions of its members, who pay A$500 person per year.[3]

A session entitled "MUD Literary Club: The 10th Anniversary", chaired by David Sly, was scheduled for the 2022 edition of Writers' Week,[2] featuring Thomas Keneally, Hannah Kent, and Christos Tsiolkas.[4]

The prize

The MUD Literary Prize is awarded at Adelaide Writers' Week in March each year,[1] and is worth A$5,000 in cash as of 2021 (up from A$3,000 in 2020[5]) and the prestige, exposure and recognition that comes with being presented at a major literary festival.[3] [6]

Prizewinners

References
  1. Sly, David (21 February 2020). "For a group of Adelaide philanthropists, the value of supporting Australian literature is as clear as MUD". The Adelaide Review. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  2. Sutton, Malcolm (2 March 2022). "Celebrating a decade of MUD Literary Club support for 'rank and file' writers at Adelaide Writers' Week". ABC News. ABC Radio Adelaide. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  3. "Home". MUD Literary Club. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  4. "The MUD Literary Club: The 10th Anniversary". Adelaide Festival. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  5. "2020 MUD Literary Prize winner announced". Adelaide Festival. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  6. "MUD Literary Prize". AustLit. University of Queensland. 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  7. Jordan, Justine (27 April 2017). "See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt review – inside the mind of Lizzie Borden". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  8. Keen, Suzie (18 February 2021). "Adelaide author wins literary prize for debut novel". InDaily. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  9. "'Love & Virtue' wins 2022 MUD Literary Prize". Books+Publishing. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
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