Congratulations to the winner of the 2020 Penguin Literary Prize

Penguin Random House Australia has announced the winner for the 2020 Penguin Literary Prize. 

Congratulations to Sophie Overett who won the 2020 prize with her novel The Rabbits. There were over 400 submissions and this is a huge achievement.

(We recently chatted to Imbi Neeme, the winner of the 2019 Penguin Literary Prize on the podcast – you can hear her interview on episode 335 of So you want to be a writer).

What is the Penguin Literary Prize?
According to the media release: “Now in its third year, the Penguin Literary Prize was launched in 2017 to find, nurture and develop new Australian authors of literary fiction. Since its inception the prize has received submissions from across Australia in a variety of genres and forms. Previous winners include Hitch by Kathryn Hind, published June 2019, and The Spill by Imbi Neeme, published June 2020.”

What is the winning novel about?
From the media release: “When 14-year-old Charlie Rabbit disappears, his mother, grandmother and siblings are faced with the history they’d rather forget, and the present they try to avoid. The Rabbits is an intergenerational family novel exploring motherhood, family secrets, loneliness and how a little bit of magic can change everything.” 

Overett said about winning the prize:  “To win the Penguin Literary Prize now is an honour, and to be in the company of such wonderful authors as Kathryn Hind and Imbi Neeme, and to have the opportunity to work with the team at Penguin Random House Australia, is a dream come true. I’m so excited to take this next step and to share The Rabbits with the world.”

Sophie Overett will be awarded $20,000, with The Rabbits to be published by Penguin Random House Australia in 2021. 

The next round of submissions for the Penguin Literary Prize will open later in 2020. Stay tuned!