At the 2019 Australian Book Industry Awards. Image: ABIA
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Judy Nunn: ‘Never, Never Quite Like This’
If there are any advantages to pandemic-era digital prize programming in publishing, the Australian Book Industry Awards last week looked for every one of them, advising fans not only to create online watch parties but offering six bottles of Australian bubbly to “the most sparkling party.”
The digital edition of the 2020 awards was announced on March 2, and the organization used its time well between then and May 13, putting together a knees-up, professionally turned out show opened with a short congratulatory message from Mexico City by Hugo Setzer, president of the International Publishers Association.
The video evocation of the awards program is a spirited example of a big show translated to the screen with some smart fast-cut edits, comedy, and musical moments thanks to writer and radio personality Casey Bennetto. No sooner does a boisterous actress and author Judy Nunn name the general nonfiction book of the year award winner to be Kitty Flanagan than a gobsmacked Flanagan in on screen with a delightful expletive and a squeal. The pace rarely slows.
We’ll embed the video here for you, so you can have a look at the upbeat May 13 production. The show, originally streamed at 4 p.m. AEST, has pulled some 5,000 views already.
Australian Book Industry 2020 Award Winners
Book of the Year and
Children’s Picture Book of the Year
Bluey: The Beach- Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
Publisher of the Year
Allen & Unwin, Book Publishers
Literary Fiction Book of the Year
- The Weekend
- Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Small Publisher of the Year
Small Publishers’ Adult Book of the Year
- Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World
- Author: Tyson Yunkaporta
- Publisher: Text Publishing
Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of the Year
- Love Your Body
- Publisher: Five Mile
Illustrated Book of the Year
- The Whole Fish Cookbook
- Publisher: Hardie Grant Publishing
Audiobook of the Year
- No Friend But the Mountains
- Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia, Macmillan Australia Audio
General Nonfiction Book of the Year
- 488 Rules for Life: The Thankless Art of Being Correct
- Publisher: Allen & Unwin
International Book of the Year
- The Testaments
- Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
General Fiction Book of the Year
- Bruny
- Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Book of the Year for Older Children
- Welcome To Your Period
- Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont
Book of the Year for Younger Children
- The 117-Storey Treehouse
- Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Biography of the Year
- When All is Said & Done
- Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
In addition to the above awards:
- The Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year went to Clare Bowditch
- Kinokuniya was named Bookshop of the Year
- Readings was named Book Retailer of the year
- The Rising Star Award went to Hazel Lam of HarperCollins Australia
Casey Bennetto and a lot of bougainvillea. “Friggin’ no. You didn’t friggin’ get a friggin’ award this year. I can’t friggin’ believe it, mate.” Image: AIBA video
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