The Davitt Awards, presented annually by Sisters in Crime Australia for the best crime books by Australian women, are named in honour of Ellen Davitt, whose 1865 novel, Force and Fraud: A Tale of the Bush, is the first known Australian murder mystery novel. The awards were established in 2001.
Source: http://www.sistersincrime.org.au/node/2 Sighted: 26/11/2013.
Sponsored by Sisters in Crime, the Davitt Award is given for the best crime novel written by a woman and published in Australia during the preceeding year. The award is named after Ellen Davitt, Australia's first crime novelist. 2001 was the award's inaugural year.
From 2002 onwards, the Award has been presented in three categories: Best Adult Novel, Best Young Fiction Book and the Reader's Choice Award, voted by members of Sisters in Crime.