Sydney-based not-for-profit organisation Shalom Collective has announced that the Shalom Collective Australian Jewish Writer Awards will run for a second time in 2025.

 

Four prizes – including two new awards – will be awarded in August of 2025 for books published during the 2024 calendar year.

 

The Leslie and Sophie Caplan Award for Jewish Non-Fiction, for works of significant relevance to the Jewish experience, are eligible to win a $10,000 prize. Last year’s winner was former editor-in-chief of The Age Michael Gawenda for My Life as a Jew (Scribe).

The Jewish Independent Young Jewish Writers Award, for works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry on Jewish subjects by authors aged 18-40, are eligible to win a $5,000 prize. Last year’s winner was poet and artists Anna Jacobson for Anxious in a Sweet Store (Upswell).

New award: The Szymon (Simon) Klitenik Award for Jewish Fiction with a $5,000 prize.

New award: The Edith Hausmann Award for Jewish Playwrights aged 18-45 offering a $10,000 prize for an unproduced script.

 

Shalom Collective creates contemporary Jewish experiences to celebrate culture, strengthen identity and build a thriving community. Through these awards, Shalom Collective hopes to inspire and support current and future Australian Jewish authors, and to promote their writing to wide audiences. Shalom Collective also runs the Sydney Jewish Writers Festival, and this award has received support from Melbourne Jewish Book Week. Anna Stern, Deputy Director of Programs at Shalom who initiated the project, explains: “After the successful reception of last year’s awards, we realised that there is a strong need to continue supporting our Jewish writers, and we intentionally developed two new awards so that more forms of writing and genres could be recognised and promoted. With the support of generous donors, we are now able to provide more exposure and publicity for Australian Jewish writers.”

 

The Leslie and Sophie Caplan Award for Jewish Non-Fiction

Generously donated by the Caplan Family to honour the memory of their parents, pillars of the Sydney Jewish community who had a keen interest in modern Jewish history and literature. “The volume and quality of submissions of books for the inaugural Australian Jewish Book Awards were amazing. The winners last year were all inspiring. We can’t wait to read the 2025 winner of the Leslie and Sophie Caplan Award for Jewish Non-Fiction.”  The 2025 judges are Professor of Holocaust Studies and Jewish Civilisation in Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies at USYD, Prof Avril Alba; Dr Lee Kofman, author, editor and writing teacher; and Jonathan Caplan representing the Caplan family (donors).

 

The Jewish Independent (TJI) Young Jewish Writers Award

Generously donated by TJI publisher Uri Windt. “The past year has highlighted the enormous power of words and their ability to influence society and change minds.  The Jewish Independent is excited to be supporting creative Jewish authors on their career journeys through this literary award. The Jewish Independent provides an independent voice on Australia, Israel and the Jewish world via its website, social media, biweekly online newsletter and community events.” The 2025 judges are Simon Tedeschi, writer and musician; Dr Roz Bellamy, author, researcher and editor; and Sharon Berger, Events and Partnerships Manager, TJI.

 

The Szymon (Simon) Klitenik Award for Jewish Fiction

Generously donated by Dr Janet Hiller in memory of Szymon (Simon) Klitenik who arrived in Melbourne from Poland in 1939 at the age of 15. Szymon enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces and was killed in action in New Guinea in 1945, at the age of 21. “My late grandfather became Szymon’s ‘guardian and friend’ and during the 1950s tried to find if any of Szymon’s family survived the Holocaust. I have continued this quest today but have not, as yet, identified any survivors of his immediate family. This young man avoided the Holocaust to die fighting in the Pacific War. And with this award, I would like him to live on.” The three-judge panel includes writer, reviewer and interviewer, Magdalena Ball; writer and editor, Katia Ariel; and Arts and Lifestyle Editor at The Australian Jewish News, Jessica Abelsohn.

 

The Edith Hausmann Award for Jewish Playwrights

Generously donated by Judi Hausmann. “I inherited my love of theatre, and particularly of contemporary Australian plays, from my mother. Before spending almost 30 years as Moriah College’s founding librarian, Edith was a keen amateur actress. She starred in a play in Yass while she was teaching there and her love of theatre meant our childhood was filled with excursions to the Ensemble, Old Tote and STC. I’m sure she would be thrilled to contribute to the creation of new Australian plays, particularly from Jewish writers.” The 2025 judges are playwright and screenwriter, Lally Katz; theatre director and producer, Moira Blumenthal; and Max Lyandvert, stage director, sound designer and composer.

 

Submissions are now open and close on 22 April 2025. Winners will be announced in August.

 

For further information please contact Anna Stern on 9381 4000 / anna@shalomcollective.com.au or visit the Shalom Collective website.

 

About Shalom Collective: Through innovative programs and strategic partnerships, we provide opportunities for deep, meaningful engagement with Jewish identity and culture, offering individuals experiences to explore and connect with their heritage through a contemporary lens. Our goal is to cultivate inclusive spaces where each individual program participant feels valued, challenged, and inspired, sparking connections that strengthen community ties to share in the experience of Jewish life together.