The prize was established in 1988 in memory of Geraldine Pascall, an Australian journalist who died of a stroke at the age of 38.
[2] The Pascall Prize was conceived as a biennial literary award for creative writers who had made original and distinctive contributions to Australia's cultural life.
In 1990, to better reflect the work and personal interests of the late Geraldine Pascall, it was decided that the Prize should be awarded annually to a critic or reviewer who contributed regularly in Australia to a newspaper, periodical, or on radio or television.
[citation needed] In 2015, the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to film critic, journalist and speechwriter Evan Willams AM on 23 May 2015 at an event held at the Sydney Writers' Festival.
[3] As of 2013[update], it was the only major national prize awarded for critical writing or reviewing in Australia.