Stone Sky Gold Mountain by Mirandi Riwoe wins the inaugural ARA Historical Novel Prize

On Tuesday, 10 November it was announced via a virtual ceremony that Mirandi Riwoe's Stone Sky Gold Mountain was awarded the inaugural ARA Historical Novel Prize.

UQP are thrilled to share this news and would like to extend a huge congratulations to Mirandi.

Judges' comments on Stone Sky Gold Mountain, ‘The historical detail is deftly woven into the narrative through the perspectives of the three characters, showing a depth of understanding of the period and its attitudes,’ said Funnell. ‘It is both intimate in its exploration of character, and epic in its depiction of the enormous social and economic movement of people and resources into Far North Queensland during the gold rush. Stone Sky Gold Mountain encompasses racism, snobbery and sexual violence, alongside moments of tenderness and connection in prose that is immediate, vivid and poignant.’

On writing, Mirandi says, ‘Historical fiction allows us as readers and writers to know more about the past, and those who weren’t written about or investigated, such as women and the working class or the culturally diverse. It can often reflect contemporary concerns and show how far we’ve come as a society, but also illuminate how far we have to go.’

With a total prize money of $60,000, the new ARA Historical Novel Prize gives Australian and New Zealand historical novelists the chance to be recognised in a class of their own, with the most significant prize purse of any genre-based prize in Australasia. The ARA Historical Novel Prize was made possible by the generosity of their principal partner, ARA Group.