In further book award news this week, the shortlist for the State Library of NSW 2020 National Biography Award has been announced.

The award, which is supported by the Nelson Meers Foundation, celebrates excellence in biography, autobiography and memoir writing. It is the richest prize for Australian biographical writing, with a prize pool of $42,000.

The award, established by Dr Geoffrey Cains, has been running for 24 years. It was supported by the late Michael Crouch AC to encourage the highest standard of biographical writing and promote public interest in the genre.

In 2018, the Nelson Meers Foundation took over the funding of the award, and increased the value of prize money for each shortlisted author to $2000.

The winner, announced on August 28, will receive $25,000.

The shortlist is competitive, with The Girls by Chloe Higgins having already won the People’s Choice Award for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards this year

See the full shortlist below!

The Girls by Chloe Higgins Buy | Borrow

Beyond Words: A year with Kenneth Cook by Jacqueline Kent Buy | Borrow

Idling in green Places: A life of Alec Chisholm by Russell McGregor Buy | Borrow

Tiberius with a Telephone: The life and stories of William McMahon by Patrick Mullins Buy | Borrow

Things Nobody Knows But Me by Amra Pajali? Buy | Borrow

Hearing Maud by Jessica White Buy | Borrow