It was named in honour of writer and journalist Mary Gilmore (1865–1962).
The Mary Gilmore Award was established in 1956 by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) as the ACTU Dame Mary Gilmore Award[1] to encourage literature "significant to the life and aspirations of the Australian people".
Over the years it has been awarded for a range of categories, including novels, poetry, a three-act (full-length) play, and a short story.
[3] The Mary Gilmore Award for a First Book of Poetry[4] was established in 1985, named in honour of the Australian writer and journalist Dame Mary Gilmore.
[5] The award currently conducted by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature and given to a first book of poetry published in Australia in the previous year.