Following his death late last year, the life and legacy of Macedon Ranges author John Marsden will be honoured through the naming of a premier’s literary award.
The legendary author, behind well-known titles including Tomorrow, When the War Began, will be honoured with the John Marsden Prize for Writing for Young Adults – which will be offered to a writer as part of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards in 2026 and will be worth $25,000.
The winner will also go in the running for the Victorian Prize for Literature, which includes a further $100,000 in prize money.
The Wheeler Centre chief executive Erin Vincent worked alongside Marsden at the ABC and said his impact on young adult literature is “immeasurable, inspiring creativity and igniting a love of reading among young audiences around the world.”
“Only someone with such deep respect for young people could create such beloved characters that will live on in our national memory,” Ms Vincent said.
Marsden’s family welcomed the naming of the award, and in a joint statement, said that “John was a pioneer in creating literature that was accessible and meaningful to young adults”.
“It was his lifelong passion, and we look forward with excitement to seeing this prize awarded, thereby continuing John’s great legacy,” the family said.
Over the course of his writing career, Marsden published over 40 books and taught at schools in New South Wales and Victoria.
In 2006, he established the alternative Candlebark School in the Macedon Ranges and 10 years later, an arts-focused secondary school in the region – the Alice Miller School.
