The Patrick White Award is an annual literary prize. The award was established in 1975 to advance 'Australian literature by encouraging the writing of novels, short stories, poetry and/or plays for publication or performance'. Rather than being awarded for an individual work, the award acknowledges writers who have made a significant contribution to Australian literature.
White used the funds from his 1973 Nobel Prize in Literature award to establish the philanthropic trust that supports this prize.
Source: http://www.perpetual.com.au/philanthropy-awards.aspx Sighted: 15/11/2013.
'Poet Antigone Kefala has won the Patrick White Award for her 50 years of contribution to Australian literature.'
'The news that Antigone Kefala has won the Patrick White Award is completely thrilling. She is a most deserving winner by all the terms of that prize.'
'Rochford Street Review congratulates Dr Adam Aitken who was awarded the 2021 Patrick White Award on 6 December 2021. Adam is a great friend and supporter of the Review and, as co-editor of the first few issues of P76 journal in the early 1980s, was present at the very beginning of Rochford Street Press. More recently Adam’s work appeared in Issue 32 of the Review (Adam Aitken: Three Poems).' (Introduction)
'The main purpose of the Patrick White Award is to encourage the winner to continue writing, and to provide some financial support to enable that. As Debra Adelaide reports, with his award White supported a basic human right, which is the freedom of expression through the written word.' (Introduction)
