The Patrick White Award is an annual literary prize established by Patrick White.
The $25,000 cash award is given to a writer who has been highly creative over a long period but has not necessarily received adequate recognition.
White stipulated that the award be announced the Friday after the Melbourne Cup to turn attention from sport to literature.
[1] The 2010 award was reduced to $18,000 because of the economic slump,[2] and in 2012 it was $23,000.
[4] Writers are automatically eligible without the necessity for submissions.