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Ellis wins 2023 Calibre Essay Prize

Sydney writer Tracy Ellis has won the 2023 Australian Book Review ( ABR ) Calibre Essay Prize for her essay ‘Flow States’.  

Ellis, who won the ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize in 2022, is the first person to win both ABR ’s Calibre and Jolley prizes.  

Ellis’s essay was chosen by the judges, former Calibre winner Yves Rees, ABR editor Peter Rose and critic Beejay Silcox, from 397 entries received from 24 countries. In it, Ellis draws out a tale of ‘the obliterative power—real, existential, and metaphorical—of floodwater’, says ABR .  

‘“Flow States” impressed the Calibre judges with its elegance, layered richness, and sharp-eyed observation. It is an essay that invites—rewards—rereading. Part memoir, part cultural history, and part solastalgic elegy, ‘Flow States’ behaves like its subject: it ebbs and whorls. The result is something that speaks to our perma-crisis present, but tells a much older story.’  

‘It’s such an honour to be awarded the Calibre Essay Prize,’ says Ellis. ‘I feel extraordinarily lucky that my essay resonated with the judges. To win on the back of the Jolley Prize brings an immense double happiness. ABR sets a high benchmark with the way they run Calibre and the Jolley. Having worked with editor Peter Rose and the ABR staff on the Jolley Prize last year, I can testify to their integrity, refreshing lack of cynicism, and genuine respect for writers. These awards and acknowledgements do matter—they help enormously on both a professional and practical level. I’m extremely grateful to ABR , the judges, and Patrons, and give thanks for my good fortune.’  

Ellis works as an editor in digital and print media and holds a Master’s in Creative Writing from UTS.  

Last year’s winner of the Calibre Essay Prize was  Simon Tedeschi for his essay ‘This Woman My Grandmother’ .

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2024 Calibre Essay Prize

ABR welcomes entries in the 2024 Calibre Essay Prize, worth $10,000. The Calibre Prize is open to all essayists writing in English, seeking essays of between 2,000 and 5,000 words on any subject and of all kinds: personal or political, literary or speculative, traditional or experimental.

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FASS Writing Alum Tracy Ellis on her Calibre Essay win

Creative Writing alum Tracy Ellis has been awarded the 2023 Calibre Essay Prize for her essay ‘Flow States’.  

The Calibre Essay Prize is awarded by The Australian Book Review (ABR), for a non-fiction essay between 2000 and 5000 words. Now in its 17 th year, the prize was first awarded in 2007 to Elisabeth Holdsworth for ‘An die Nachgeborenen: For Those Who Come After’. 

Tracy won out over a competitive field of almost 400 entries, with the runner-up awarded to Bridget Vincent for ‘Child Adjacent’. 

‘Flow States’, described by the ABR as “part memoir, part cultural history, and part solastalgic elegy” focuses initially on a single drop of water from a household tap. 

We asked Tracy about her writing, her time at UTS, and her advice for aspiring writers.

Can you tell us a little about your essay and the writing process?

Flow States is broadly about water, life, family and the environment. I wrote the first draft as part of my Masters at UTS in a class with Delia Falconer after reading about longwall coalmining in Sydney’s water catchment and CSG exploration in the Pilliga above the Great Artesian Basin. I watched a lot of depressing videos about CSG and people in the US who can’t drink the water from their taps anymore due to contamination. I initially called it Hauling Water, which is the reality for a lot of people, and not just in third world countries. Then Delia brought in guest lecturer Christine Piper, who was studying the state of flow in work and creativity, and I took the name 'Flow States' from that, and the essay sort of changed direction and became more personal. The version that won the Calibre is an excerpt of a much bigger piece, but the essence is about taking things for granted and time catching up with you.

Photo provided by Tracy Ellis

Can you talk about your time at UTS?

I romanticise uni a bit – I recognise that it’s a privilege to study, and I really enjoyed just being on campus and in classrooms. When I started my Masters I thought I might manage two or three subjects a semester, but ended up dropping down to one. Apart from the demands of work and life, I wanted to absorb all the readings, take my time with the assignments and not rush. I truly was more interested in learning than finishing. 

I went home from most of my classes in the evenings feeling kind of high, but there was also usually a time in the middle of each subject or semester when I would have a slump or a disappointment or a difficult class and be full of self-doubt. 

I was attracted to UTS by the staff, and the fact that they were actual writers and I’d read books by most of them. I was lucky to do the course when I did, with teachers like Delia, John Dale, Debra Adelaide, Anthony Macris and Gabrielle Carey. I was devastated to hear about Gabrielle’s death. She had recommended a Claire Keegan workshop to the class I was in, which I ended up doing, and then another because I learnt so much from the first, so I’m eternally grateful to Carey for that. I did write to her last year and tell her, and I’m glad we had that exchange at least, but it’s just so sad, and I’ve struggled with a sense of futility about writing since hearing of her death. 

Are there essayists that inspire you?

You know how Lana Del Rey has Billie and Nina tattooed on her collarbone? I’d probably get Didion and Garner. I’ve also always loved Tim Winton’s non-fiction (as well as his fiction). 

Some more recent books I’ve loved have been Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror , Fiona Wright’s two books, Anwen Crawford’s No Document , Sally Olds’ People Who Lunch , Deborah Levy’s Real Estate and The Cost of Living , Johnathan Franzen’s Discomfort Zone (for the background it gives to Crossroads). 

I read Delia’s 'The Opposite of Glamour' essay while in her class and realised that I was writing in her wake. Signs and Wonders was also a beautiful and sad love song to the planet. I went to see Jenny Odell speak last night and really admire her take on technology. A single essay that is close to my heart is Gillian Mears’ 'Alive in Ant and Bee', which I read many years ago. And I first discovered Tony Birch’s writing while at UTS, which I also love. Like Winton, he evokes time and place beautifully but tells a story very plainly, which makes it very moving. As Claire Keegan would say, "Plain is a compliment".

What does winning this award, and being the first recipient of both the Calibre Essay Prize and the Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Award, mean to you?

So many emotions. It was very encouraging, shocking, and also a relief – just to get a little recognition after years of work and know it’s not for nothing. There’s also a bit of an anti-climax because after a week or so it’s back to normal. There is a bit of pressure that comes with the prize, too – a lot of successful Calibre alumni. Both awards have opened doors to a couple of publishers.

I know the writer’s life is not typically full of such recognition and reward, so I’m trying to enjoy the moment.

What would you say to students interested in pursuing writing, editing and publishing careers?

I am at heart an idealist and I didn’t go back to do my MA with the goal of forging a career in publishing; I went to learn about writing from actual writers, and I kind of wish that maybe there was an opportunity with an IOWA-workshop-type intensity, or just something that was all art for art’s sake, not ‘what job can I get at the end of this course’.

But, on the practical side, I do get quite passionate about the craft of editing, both my own words and other writers’ – it’s probably my favourite part of the writing process, and a very important skill for a writer to develop. 

So, to your question, my advice to students would be to decide early on whether you want to be a writer or work in publishing, and if you want to be a writer, don’t get pushed into publishing – don’t be sensible, for god’s sake – don’t talk yourself into anything. 

Pick your elective subjects based on your passion and interest, but maybe do the editing subject either way. I’m not sure who’s teaching it now but I know it has previously been taught by great teachers such as Rowena Lennox and Bernadette Foley, and it will give you very valuable tools for either path. 

Read Tracy's essay 'Flow States', and find more information on the Calibre Essay Prize here

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Tracey Slaughter wins the Calibre Essay Prize

Tracey Slaughter – from Aotearoa New Zealand – has won the 2024 Calibre Essay Prize. Slaughter becomes the first overseas writer to claim the Calibre Prize.

Judges Amy Baillieu , Shannon Burns , and Beejay Silcox chose ‘why your hair is long & your stories short’ from a field of 567 entries from twenty-eight countries. This year’s runner-up is ‘Hold Your Nerve’, by Melbourne writer Natasha Sholl , and third prize goes to Canberra-based journalist Nicole Hasham for ‘Bloodstone’. The judges said this of the overall field:

‘We were delighted to encounter works that took unusual approaches to the form … Among them were essays exploring the ethics of AI and the repercussions of war, reflections on loss, climate change, and family, musings on lesser-known aspects of history and thoughtful approaches to political and personal subjects. ’

The judges said this about Slaughter’s winning essay:

‘In Tracey Slaughter’s “why your hair is long & your stories short”, a beauty salon becomes a refracting point for the dark complexities of womanhood … Written in snips and snippets – the literary equivalent of a haircut – this piece is as sharp as good scissors, as evocative as it is incisive.’

Tracey Slaughter on winning the Calibre Essay Prize:

‘Venturing from fiction into personal essay territory has felt beset with risks, and I’ve often found myself back in places that have tested every nerve-end. Real stories raise the stakes in such a physical way. It feels as though the Calibre Essay Prize has come at the perfect time – to help quell those fears and to spur me on in my unfolding work on a collection of personal essays. I feel astounded and blessed and so utterly grateful to all who make this prize possible.’

About Tracey Slaughter

Tracey Slaughter is a poet, fiction writer, and essayist from Aotearoa New Zealand. Her work has received numerous awards including the Manchester Poetry Prize 2023, the Fish Short Story Prize 2020, and the Bridport Prize 2014. She was runner- up in the 2018 Peter Porter Poetry Prize. She teaches at the University of Waikato, where she edits the journals Mayhem and Poetry Aotearoa . Her recent books are Devil’s Trumpet (2021) and Conventional Weapons (2019), and her latest collection the girls in the red house are singing comes out in August 2024.

Calibre Essay Prize:

The Prize, now in its eighteenth year, is one of the world’s leading awards for an original essay.

ABR Patrons Peter McLennan and Mary-Ruth Sindrey support the Calibre Prize.

Tracey Slaughter (Photo credit Joel Hinton)

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Call for Submissions: Australian Book Review Calibre Essay Prize

Australian Book Review welcomes entries to the 2023 Calibre Essay Prize , one of the world’s leading prizes for an original non-fiction essay. The prize – worth a total of AU$ 7,500 – is open to all essayists writing in English. The winner will receive $5,000; the runner-up will receive $2,500.

Deadline extended to January 15, 2023!

They are seeking essays of between 2,000 and 5,000 words on any subject and welcome all kinds – personal or political, traditional or experimental.

This year, the Calibre Essay Prize is judged by Yves Rees , Peter Rose , and Beejay Silcox .

Click here to submit your essay .

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ABR Calibre Prize now open

2021  Theodore Ell: ‘ Façades of Lebanon ‘

Anita Punton was named runner-up for ‘May Day’, a poignant memoir about piecing together her Olympic gymnast father’s life after his death. Anita receives $2,500.

ABR Editor Peter Rose judged the prize with Sheila Fitzpatrick and Billy Griffiths. They chose Theodore Ell’s winning essay from 638 entries from twenty-eight different countries.

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Calibre essay prize.

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A prize of $5,000 AUD (approximately $3,262) is given annually for an essay. Two second-place prizes of $2,500 AUD (approximately $1,631) each will also be awarded. The winners will be published in Australian Book Review . Using only the online submission system, submit an essay of 2,000 to 5,000 words with an entry fee of $25 AUD (approximately $16) by January 15, 2024. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Australian Book Review , Calibre Essay Prize, Studio 2, 207 City Road, Southbank, VIC 3006, Australia.

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2024 Calibre Essay Prize

Description

Posted on 22 October 2023

Deadline 22 January 2024

Who may enter The competition is open to all essayists writing in English. There is no age limit.

Short description The Calibre Essay Prize is an annual Australian Book Review  essay-writing award.

“ We welcome essays of all kinds: personal or political, literary or speculative, traditional or experimental. 

Entries must be a single non-fiction essay of 2,000 and 5,000 words.

Essays must be written in English. 

Previously published, prize-winning, or broadcast essays will not be accepted. 

Entries must be submitted online via the ABR website entry page.

Entry fee Each entry must be accompanied by an entry fee of AU$30 , or AU$20  for current ABR subscribers.

Prizes The winner will receive AU$5,000 . The runner-up will receive AU$3,000 . Third place will receive AU$2,000 .

The winning essay will be published in the April 2024 issue (print and online). 

Competition website For further information visit the official competition website .

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The 2022 Calibre Essay Prize

“ We welcome essays of all kinds: personal or political, literary or speculative, traditional or experimental. Founded in 2007, the Calibre Prize is one of the world’s leading prizes for a new non-fiction essay.

Entries must be a single non-fiction essay of between 2,000 and 5,000 words on any subject.

Essays must be written in English.

Entries must be submitted online via the ABR website entry page.

This year the Calibre Essay Prize will be judged by Declan Fry, Peter Rose, and Beejay Silcox .

Entry fee Each entry must be accompanied by an entry fee of AU$25 , or AU$15 for current ABR subscribers. Prizes The winner will receive AU$5,000 . The runner-up will receive AU$2,500 .

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Calibre prize for an outstanding essay.

On learning that he was the winner of this year’s Calibre, Martin Thomas said: ‘Winning Calibre is a big surprise and a huge honour. My essay pays homage to a senior traditional owner from Arnhem Land who became a friend and teacher to me. I tell how he received back into his country the spirits of kinsmen whose bones were stolen during a scientific expedition in 1948, and in this way prepared for his own death. I feel supremely fortunate that my archival research has opened a dialogue with living communities. Good writing starts with great content.’

Dr Thomas discusses his prize winning essay in an interview (YouTube ANU Channel) with Professor Tom Griffiths, W K Hankcock Professor with the School of History.

Martin Thomas’s essay appears in the April 2013 issue of Australian Book Review, which is now available.

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2022 Calibre Essay Prize Winner and Shortlist

D istinguished classical musician Simon Tedeschi has won the sixteenth Calibre Essay Prize, worth a total of $7,500. 

Tedeschi receives $5,000 for his essay ‘ This Woman My Grandmother ’, while the runner-up, Sarah Gory receives $2,500 for her submission, ‘ Ghosts, Ghosts Everywhere ’. The winning essay was published in the May 2022 issue of  ABR . The runner-up essay appeared in the September 2022 issue.

The judges – Declan Fry, Beejay Silcox and Peter Rose, Editor of ABR – selected a shortlist of twelve essays from a field of 569 entries from seventeen different countries. The ten other essays making up the shortlist are listed below.

Congratulations to Simon Tedeschi and all the writers shortlisted in the 2022 Calibre Essay Prize!

In ‘This Woman My Grandmother’, Tedeschi explores his grandmother’s story:

‘My grandmother, a Polish Jew, the only survivor of a family obliterated by the Nazis, wrote a memoir of her wartime years shortly before she died sixteen years ago. Only recently was I able to bring myself to read it. When I did, it caused not only a torrent of memory to erupt but spurred me to find out more about this tormented woman who, despite her vociferousness and overbearing presence, was the bearer of secrets too painful to divulge.’

The judges commented on Simon Tedeschi’s essay:

This year’s winning essay has a powerful, memorable duality: it’s at once forceful and gentle, timeless and timely. While Tedeschi plays with eternal themes – the fragility of memory and intergenerational anguish – there is also a quiet urgency to his account of his grandmother, Lucy’s, complicated legacy. We stand on the cusp of a great forgetting: the Holocaust is fading from living memory, and Covid is ravaging our elderly. As we lose our story-keepers and war rages in Europe, it feels vital not just to honour the past, but to acknowledge its knots and nuances. That is what Tedeschi has done in this remarkable essay, with grace, care, and glorious prose craft.

2022 Calibre Essay Prize Shortlist:

Linda Atkins (NSW): ‘Shouting Abortion’ Jessie Berry-Porter (Vic): ‘Milos As a Symbol’ Chrysanthi Diasinos (NSW): ‘Οι παρχαρομάνες και το χρυσόραμμαν’ Michael Garbutt (NSW): ‘The Museum of Mankind’ Savannah Hollis (Vic): ‘The Diary of a Bottom Bitch’      Heather Taylor Johnson (SA): ‘The Giving and Taking Away of Voice’ Michaela Keeble (NZ): ‘The Bind: On Reading’     Emma Shortis (Vic): ‘American Guns’ Kirsten Tranter (USA): ‘The Time of Writing’ Miriam Webster (Vic): ‘The Trouble with Endings’

Absolutely stunning essay. I listened to Simon read on the podcast and it almost brought me to tears. Simon writes as beautifully as he plays. Thank you for sharing this with the world.

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