The Miles Franklin is stil probably the Aus award with the most prestige, but the new Prime Minister's Literary Award with its $100,000 prize money is going to be something writers are aiming for too.
This year's shortlist - announced by arts minister Peter Garret (anyone remember the rok roup Midnight Oil? Yes, the same Peter Garret)is
Burning In - Mireille Juchau
El Dorado - Dorothy Porter
Jamaica - Malcolm Knox
Sorry - Gail Jones
The Complete Stories - David Malouf
The Widow and Her Hero - Tom Keneally
The Zookeeper's War - Steven Conte
