Hachette Australia is delighted to congratulate Sarah Schmidt on winning the inaugural MUD Literary Prize for her bestselling novel, SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE, and to runner-up Claire G. Coleman for TERRA NULLIUS.

He was still bleeding. I yelled, 'Someone's killed Father.' I breathed in kerosene air, licked the thickness from my teeth. The clock on the mantel ticked ticked. I looked at Father, the way hands clutched to thighs, the way the little gold ring on his pinky finger sat like a sun. I gave him that ring for his birthday when I no longer wanted it. 'Daddy,' I had said. 'I'm giving this to you because I love you.' He had smiled and kissed my forehead.
Lizzie Borden took an axe. Or did she? 

While literary fiction plays a vital role in the cultural life of Australia, and internationally, it rarely offers writers a living wage. The MUD Literary Prize acknowledges that most writers need funds to make it possible to write, and aims to support a debut literary novelist. The prize is one that the writer may spend as they see fit – to live, to travel, to explore and be inspired by new ideas.

The Prize was awarded during Adelaide Writers Week On Monday 5 March.

Congratulations to Sarah and Claire!