...it’s always been
my contention that great criticism is about love more than hate, construction more than destruction. That in many ways what a good critic does is nearer to the task of a translator who has found a way of channeling one form of language into another. And in some cases even improving on the original source, sacrilegious as that might sound. 
Mark Mordue
2010 Pascall Prize recipient
Pascall Prize Recipients
2012 Pascall Prize Recipient
AUSTRALIAN 'CRITIC OF THE YEAR'
James Bradley
James Bradley is an award-winning writer and critic. His books include three novels, Wrack, The Deep Field and The Resurrectionist, all of which have been widely translated and won or been shortlisted for major Australian and international literary awards, a book of poetry, Paper Nautilus, and two anthologies, Blur, a collection of stories by young Australian writers and The Penguin Book of the Ocean.
Alongside his career as a novelist he has developed a substantial career as writer of non-fiction and criticism, with reviews and essays exploring topics ranging from books and writing to television, environmental issues and technology appearing in Australian and international newspapers and magazines such as The Times Literary Supplement, The Guardian, The New York Review of Science Fiction, Griffith Review, Meanjin, Heat and The Australian Literary Review. He also maintains the popular blog, City of Tongues, and reviews regularly for The Australian, Australian Book Review, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
James Bradley's acceptance speech
Presentation speech by Geordie Williamson and the 2012 Judges' Report
James Bradley's blog - City of Tongues
2012 Media Release
James Bradley is the winner of the 2012 Pascall Prize, Australia’s only major award for critical writing.
Bradley writes and reviews regularly for newspapers and magazines both in Australia and overseas. He blogs at City of Tongues and is an award-winning novelist...
Rea Francis, Director Geraldine Pascall Foundation
2011 Recipient
2011 Pascall Prize Recipient
Geordie Williamson
Sydney-based reviewer and essayist Geordie Williamson, chief literary critic of The Australian, won the Pascall Prize for 2011.
2010 Recipient
2010 Pascall Prize Recipient
Mark Mordue
Sydey-based journalist, essayist, editor and internationally published freelance writer Mark Mordue won the Pascall Prize for 2010.
2009 Recipient
2009 Pascall Prize Recipient
Alison Croggon
South African born poet, playwright, fantasy novelist and librettist. Based in Melbourne, Alison won the 2009 Pascall Prize for her blog Theatre Notes.
2008
not awarded
2007 Recipient
2007 Pascall Prize Recipient
Paul Byrnes
Noted for his wry, personable film criticism and analysis, Paul has been a film critic for The Sydney Morning Herald. He was director of the Sydney Film Festival for ten years, and has programmed exhibitions of Australian cinema for venues in Berlin and New York. Paul won the 2007 Pascall Prize for critical writing of Australian film and screen culture.
2006 Recipient
2006 Pascall Prize Recipient
Robert Forster
The Brisbane born performer and critic studied Arts at Queensland University. Also known as a singer and songwriter for the pop band, The Go Betweens. He became the rock critic for a new magazine, The Monthly. Robert won the 2006 Pascall Prize for his contribution to the critical writing of popular music.
2005 Recipient
2005 Pascall Prize Recipient
Gerard Windsor
Australian born Gerard is a Sydney-based novelist, essayist and freelance literary critic. Awarded the 2005 Pascall Prize for writing a series of 200-word essay style, book reviews in The Australian Financial Review’s Friday Review section.
2004 Recipient
2004 Pascall Prize Recipient
Peter Craven
A prolific Melbourne based reviewer, literary critic, columnist and essayist. He was the founding editor of the Black Inc. Best Of annuals (Essays, Stories, Poems) and of Quarterly Essay. His work appears regularly in The Age, The Australian, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian Literary Review. Peter won the 2004 Pascall Prize for his contribution to literary review and criticism.
2003 Recipient
2003 Pascall Prize Recipient
Julie Rigg
A critic and arts broadcaster, Juile specialises in film having served on the executive of the Film Critics Circle of Australia. She is the presenter for ABC Radio National's ‘Movie Time’ program. Julie won the 2003 Pascall Prize for her film reviews for ABC Radio National.
2002 Recipient
2002 Pascall Prize Recipient
Noel Purdon
Educated in Sydney, Florence and Cambridge, Noel began lecturing and writing on film as a fellow of Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He is an author and winner of the 2002 Pascall Prize for creative criticism in his long running column in the Adelaide Review.
2001 Recipient
2001 Pascall Prize Recipient
Elizabeth Farrelly
A Sydney based columnist, architecture critic and author. Elizabeth trained as an architect in Auckland, practised in London and Bristol and holds a PhD in architecture from the University of Sydney at where she is Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture. Elizabeth won the 2001 Pascall Prize for her critical assessment of the built environment.
2000 Recipient
2000 Pascall Prize Recipient
Robert Nelson
Associate Professor in the Faculty of Art & Design at Monash University. Robert’s interest is in exploring links between contemporary art & design and the history of ideas. He has written poetry and criticism for many art journals. Robert won the 2000 Pascall Prize for his contribution as an art critic.
1999 Recipient
1999 Pascall Prize Recipient
Andrew Riemer
A bestselling author and the Chief Book Reviewer of The Sydney Morning Herald. Andrew’s books include Inside Outside, Sandstone Gothic, Hughes and A Family History of Smoking. He is best known by his byline as the Sydney Morning Herald Book Chief Reviewer. Andrew was the 1999 winner of the Pascall Prize for his contribution to literary criticism.
1998 Recipient
1998 Pascall Prize Recipient
Andrew Ford
English born, educated at the University of Lancaster, composer, writer and broadcaster. Andrew has composed orchestral and chamber music, operas and music-theatre pieces, and a wide range of vocal and solo instrumental works. He has been an academic on the Faculty of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong and has written and broadcast on a wide range of music. Andrew won the 1998 Pascall Prize for a considerable body of work consisting of a weekly ABC Radio National program, his regular book and CD reviews, radio series and book, Illegal Harmonies.
1997 Recipient
1997 Pascall Prize Recipient
Adrian Martin
An award-winning journalist with over two decades experience of film criticism and analysis. Adrian has been the weekly film critic for The Age in Melbourne since 1995 and has written extensively for film and culture magazines. He has also written and made contributions to over 30 books. Adrian won the 1997 Pascall Prize for his critical film reviews in The Age and on ABC Radio National.
1996 Recipient
1996 Pascall Prize Recipient
Bruce Elder
Bruce Elder is a journalist, writer and commentator and has been involved in writing over 60 books as well as working as a print and radio journalist in both London and Sydney. He is currently a full-time journalist with the Sydney Morning Herald specialising in travel and popular culture. He is also the director of Walkabout, the Fairfax organisation's detailed travel internet site. Bruce won the 1996 Pascall Prize because of the breadth of his knowledge and his wide reaching works as a critic in print and on radio.
1995 Recipient
1995 Pascall Prize Recipient
John McCallum
A lecturer at the University of NSW and is a significant figure writing about Australian Theatre, author of Belongings: Australian Playwriting in the 20th Century, a speaker at The Sydney Writers Festival, and the Sydney Theatre Critic for The Australian Newspaper. John won the 1995 Pascall Prize for his critical reviews of theatre.
1994 Recipient
1994 Pascall Prize Recipient
Sandra Hall
An Australian journalist well known for her film reviews for The Sydney Morning Herald. Sandra has written books on Australian television - Supertoy and Turning on, Turning Off and another novel, A Thousand Small Wishes and has just released her biography of Ezra Norton called The Tabloid Man: The life and times of Ezra Norton. Sandra won the 1994 Pascall Prize for her contribution to film criticism.
1993 Recipient
Roger Covell & Cyrus Meher-Homji
Roger Covell & Cyrus Meher-Homji
1993 Pascall Prize Recipient
Roger Covell is a Sydney born musicologist, critic and author. He is Professor Emeritus in the School of English, Media and Performing Arts at the University of New South Wales, and continues to contribute articles and reviews to the Sydney Morning Herald, where he served as principal music critic. Together, Roger and Cyrus won the 1993 Pascall Prize for music criticism.
1992 Recipient
1992 Pascall Prize Recipient
Alan Saunders
London born and educated, Alan came to Australia in 1981 to pursue research in the History of Ideas Unit at the Australian National University and was subsequently awarded a PhD. He is a presenter of By Design, a weekly show about architecture and design, gardens and food on ABC National Radio. Alan won the 1992 Pascall Prize for his food and wine reviews and criticism.
1991 Recipient
1991 Pascall Prize Recipient
Joanna Mendelssohn
An award winning art critic for the Bulletin, and a critic for the Australian and the National Times. Joanna is an Associate Professor at the College of Fine Arts at the University of New South Wales and is actively involved in researching content for the Dictionary of Australian Artists Online. Joanna won the 1991 Pascall Prize for her contribution as a critic in Australian Visual Art.
1990 Recipient
1990 Pascall Prize Recipient
Marion Halligan
Born in Newcastle, this award-winning novelist, essayist and short-story writer has now published some twenty books and has written short stories, articles, book reviews and essays for various publications. Marion won the 1990 Pascall Prize for her literary reviews and criticism in print and on radio.
1989
not awarded
1988 Recipient
1988 Pascall Prize Recipient
David Malouf
Brisbane born literary prizewinner. His father's family came to Australia in the 1880s from Lebanon and his mother's family from London just before World War I. He was educated at Brisbane Grammar School and the University of Queensland, where he taught for two years after graduating. He left Australia aged twenty-four and lived in Britain from where he taught in London and Birkenhead. He returned to teach English at the University of Sydney, where he stayed until 1977. He now writes full-time and lives part of the year in Australia and part in southern Tuscany in Italy.
site map
© 2011 Pascall Prize. All Rights Reserved. Created using Adobe Technology by ING Group. Best viewed on Safari or Firefox 3.5 +