The Iremonger Award

The Iremonger Award for Writing on Public Issues is an annual Australian literary award that was established in 2003 by Australian publisher Allen & Unwin to commemorate publisher and author John Iremonger and "foster the sort of ideas that he was so good at cultivating". [http://home.vicnet.net.au/~abr/April04/Advances.html "Australian Book Review, April 2004. Advances"] ] The award is made "for works of political, social and cultural commentary with contemporary Australian relevance" and offers a prize of $10,000 as well as guaranteed publication, royalties and editorial support. [http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=441 Allen & Unwin "The Iremonger Award"] ]

The judges for the first award, made in 2004, included Anne Manne and David Marr. The award has three judges, one from Allen & Unwin and two independent judges who “know what’s happening at the moment and have a unique perspective”. [http://www.festivalnews.uts.edu.au/specialreports/awardhonours_manofpassion.html Rebecca Kaiser, editorial director at Allen & Unwin, cited in "Award honours man of passion" in "Festival News: The Newsletter of the Sydney Writers' Festival] ]

John Iremonger

John Iremonger, who died of cancer in August 2002, worked in the publishing industry in Australia for 35 years. He started the independent publishing company, Hale and Iremonger, in 1977, with Greens MP, Sylvia Hale, but left the partnership in 1980 to join Allen & Unwin when its publishing director Patrick Gallagher offered him a job. [ [http://www.thorpe.com.au/forms/WBN2002/WBN_28_08_email.pdf "RiP John Iremonger" in "Weekly Book Newsletter". No. 1553. 2002-08-23] ] Iremonger's career at Allen & Unwin lasted 22 years, which included a four-year break to run Melbourne University Press. [ [http://www.festivalnews.uts.edu.au/specialreports/awardhonours_manofpassion.html "Award honours man of passion" in "Festival News: The Newsletter of the Sydney Writers' Festival] ] He was also founding editor of the "ANU Historical Journal". [ [http://www.artshub.com.au/au/news.asp?sc=1&sId=98674&catId=10 "Non-fiction writing award offers $10,000" in "Arts Hub Australia", Monday, July 31, 2006] ]

“He had an enormous impact on Australian publishing. He had a deeply inquiring mind, a strong sense of what was right and wrong and a deep human compassion.”

Winners

*2004: "Australian Heartlands: Making Space for Hope in the Suburbs" by Brendan Gleeson
*2005: "Inside Spin" by Bob Burton
*2006: "The End of Charity" by Nic Frances with Maryrose Cuskelly
*2007: "Once Were Radicals" by Irfan Yusuf

Notes