Patricia Cornelius wins $234,000 Windham-Campbell prize

19 March, 2019

The Australian Writers' Guild congratulates long-standing AWG member Patricia Cornelius on winning the 2019 Windham-Campbell Prize for Drama, announced last week in London.

Established in 2013, the Prize is among the richest and most prestigious literary awards on earth, with eight writers across four categories receiving $165,000 USD ($234,000 AUD) in recognition of their literary achievement or promise, and to provide them with the opportunity to focus on their work without financial concerns. Writers from across the globe are eligible, and are nominated and judged anonymously. 

One of Australia's most respected playwrights, Patricia's work was described by judges as channelling "the power of resisting received literary tradition in order to open up a space where the lives of characters on the margins can become vessels of universal truths."

Patricia has been a member of the AWG for more than 30 years and was a founding member of the Melbourne Workers' Theatre. She has received numerous awards recognising her work, including the Major Award at the AWGIE Awards on three occasions: in 1999 alongside Andrew Bovell, Melissa Reeves and Christos Tsiolkas for their play Who's Afraid of the Working Class?, in 2000 for Hogs, Hairs & Leeches, and in 2011 for Do Not Go Gentle. 

Read Patricia's interview in The Guardian here.