Departures: Melanie Joosten's Berlin Syndrome wins Kathleen Mitchell Award

The Trust Company as Trustee for the Kathleen Mitchell Award, today announced Melanie Joosten as winner of the $15,000 prize for her novel Berlin Syndrome.

32 year old Joosten's debut novel, published by Scribe, was described by the judges as a 'psychological thriller that is an exploration of obsession, captivity and the cumulative guilts of the past'.

Established in 1996 by the will of Kathleen Adele Mitchell, the biennial award aims to act as an incentive to improve young writers' literary skills, as well as encourage them to maintain their passion and dedication to the advancement of Australia literature – much like the aim of Miles Franklin in setting up her literary award which The Trust Company also administers.

John Atkin, CEO of The Trust Company, said this Award could be seen as a stepping stone to winning Australia's most prestigious literary prize. The 2012 Miles Franklin winner will be announced on 20 June in Brisbane.

32 year old Joosten, who is based in Melbourne, said: 'This award means so much to me – it can be difficult for a young or debut writer to get any purchase in the literary scene and awards such as this one really help with finding an audience. Also, I find that writing long fiction takes a long time – which is exactly what this award will afford me as I work on my next novel.'

Mr Atkin added: 'Congratulations to the winning author with her wonderful debut novel. Little is known about Kathleen Mitchell, who was a pharmacist. However, in her will she stated that she wanted to encourage "the advancement, improvement and betterment of Australian literature" and left a $50,000 bequest to cover the Award that carries her name.

'It is very encouraging to see the reputation of the award grow within the writing community. We want to ensure it is seen as a platform for young writers, giving them the gift of publicity and financial support to assist them in pursuing their talent further.'

The judges also Highly Commended Jessica Au's novel Cargo saying, 'This rites of passage novel powerfully demonstrates the impact of place as a shaping force in young lives.'

Previous winners of the Kathleen Mitchell Literary Award include; Randa Abdel-Fattah Ten things I hate about me (2008), Markus Zusak The Book Thief (2006) Lucy Lehmann The Showgirl and the Brumby (2004), Julia Leigh The Hunter (2000), James Bradley Wrack (1998) and Sonya Hartnett Sleeping Dogs (1996).

The judges of the 2012 award included Dr Camilla Nelson, Lecturer in Communications at the University of Notre Dame, Gill Graton, Project Officer, Learning Services, State Library of NSW and Marilla North, Biographer, Lecturer in Australian Cultural and Literary History, Principal of the Creative Writing Workshops since 1988.