Gabrielle Tozer announced winner of Gold Inky Award for 2015
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Friday 16 October 2015
The Centre for Youth Literature at State Library Victoria today announced the winners of the 2015
Inky Awards, Australia’s national teen choice prize for literature.
The 2015 Gold Inky was awarded to The Intern by Gabrielle Tozer (HarperCollins Publishers). The Gold
Inky is awarded each year to an Australian author and includes $2,000 prize money.
Ms Tozer said: “Being included in such a talented line-up of hardworking Australian authors is easily
the greatest, most unexpected moment of my writing career so far.”
“It's a privilege to write for – and about – young adults, so to win the Gold Inky Award and be
recognised by these passionate readers of YA literature is an honour. Now, I need someone to pinch
me so I can double-check this isn't all just a wonderful dream!” she said.
The Silver Inky is awarded each year to an international author. This year’s Silver Inky winner is USbased
author Rainbow Rowell for her novel Fangirl (PanMacmillan).
The Inky Awards are Australia’s only literary prize for young adult literature voted on by young people
themselves. Readers aged between 12-20 years old vote for their favourite books from a shortlist
selected by a panel of teen judges from around Australia. Voting is conducted online through the
State Library’s youth literature website insideadog.com.au and the shortlisted authors who receive
the most votes win.
Centre for Youth Literature Manager Anna Burkey said the Inky Awards, now in their ninth year,
encouraged teens to read for pleasure and share that passion with their peers.
“Unlike other book prizes chosen by committee, the Inky Awards are the only literary awards that
celebrate books written for and chosen by young adult readers. The Inkys encourage young people
to read the books that speak to them, and recognise that peer recommendations are a powerful
tool for getting young people to read more,” she said.
“Our teen judges and our voters comprise young people from all over Australia, from different socioeconomic
backgrounds. What they have in common is they are all young people who love to
read,” she said.
“Interestingly, this year both Inky Award winners are female authors and both books are stories about
young women with a passion for writing. This reflects how good books can resonate with teens
regardless of gender,” she said.
The Inky Awards were established in 2007 as Australia’s first national teen choice awards for young adult literature.
For their 10th year, the Centre for Youth Literature will expand the Inky Awards to introduce an ambassador program in schools allowing schools to register as ambassadors for their state. Ambassador schools will elect a student committee to run shadow events and engagement activities that will promote the Inky Awards and foster a love of reading both within their own students and teens in their wider communities.
About Gabrielle Tozer and The Intern
The Intern is the debut novel by Sydney-based YA author and journalist Gabrielle Tozer. Born in Wagga Wagga, Tozer has worked as a sub-editor and contributor for many of Australia’s most prominent lifestyle magazines including Cosmopolitan, DOLLY, Girlfriend as well as Mamamia, News.com.au and The Canberra Times.
Josie Browning dreams of having it all. A perfect academic record, an amazing journalism career -- and for her crush to realise she exists. The only problem? Josie can't stop embarrassing her little sister or her best friend, let alone herself.
Josie's luck changes when she lands an internship at Sash magazine. A coveted columnist job is up for grabs, but Josie quickly learns making her mark will be far from easy, especially under the reign of editor Rae Swanson. From the lows of photocopying and coffee-fetching, to the highs of celebrities, beauty products and by-lines, this is one internship Josie will never forget.
About Rainbow Rowell and Fangirl
Fangirl is the second novel by American author Rainbow Rowell, the New York Times-bestselling author of Eleanor & Parks.
Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren's decided she doesn't want to be one half of a pair any more - she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She's horribly shy and has always buried herself in the fan fiction she writes, where she always knows exactly what to say and can write a romance far more intense than anything she's experienced in real life. Without Wren Cath is completely on her own and totally outside her comfort zone. She's got a surly room-mate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone. Now Cath has to decide whether she's ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she's realizing that there's more to learn about love than she ever thought possible . . .
Information for editors
The Centre for Youth Literature at State Library Victoria connects Australia’s young people with literature, inspiring young adults to engage with books, stories, writing and ideas. In addition to the Inky Awards, major projects include:
insideadog.com.au is Australia’s best-loved website for books and reading for young people. Insideadog is a project of the Centre for Youth Literature and is proudly supported by the Australia Council and the State Government of Victoria.