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.

Departures: 2012 Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlist announced

The Trust Company, as Trustee, and the 2012 judges today announced the shortlist for this year's Miles Franklin Literary Award, regarded as Australia's most prestigious literary prize. Announced at the State Library of New South Wales, the 2012 shortlist features five works of fiction and includes a mixture of well-established Australian authors and first time novelists.

Established by writer, Miles Franklin, to support and encourage authors of Australian literature, the Miles Franklin Literary Award is Australia's oldest and most prestigious literary prize. The winner of the award will receive $50,000 for the novel of the year judged to be of the highest literary merit which "must present Australian life in any of its phases".

For the first time this year the five person judging panel were formally authorised by the Trustee to use their discretion to modernise the interpretation of Australian life beyond geographical boundaries to include mindset, language, history and values.

The 2012 Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlist is:

Tony Birch Blood University of Queensland Press

Anna Funder All That I Am Hamish Hamilton (Penguin Group Australia)

Gillian Mears Foal's Bread Allen & Unwin

Frank Moorhouse Cold Light Vintage (Random House Australia)

Favel Parrett Past the Shallows Hachette Australia (Hachette imprint)

Judging the 2012 Miles Franklin Literary Award is Richard Neville, State Library of New South Wales Mitchell Librarian, Professor Gillian Whitlock, Australian Research Council Professorial Fellow at the University of Queensland, Murray Waldren, journalist and columnist at The Australian, Anna Low, a Sydney based bookseller and Dr Julianne Schultz AM, founding editor of Griffith REVIEW.

Speaking on behalf of the judging panel, Gillian Whitlock said: "This year we had a big longlist that made the judging panel reflect on the power of historical fiction, extending from the colonial period through to memories of the world wars and their aftermath. We see this reflected in the shortlisted fictions by Anna Funder and Frank Moorhouse.

"We also see more contemporary lives explored with a turn to trauma narratives and childhood, in the shortlisted novels by Tony Birch, Favel Parrett and Gillian Mears. The breadth of the shortlist includes well-known and loved Australian authors and includes the end of one of the great historical trilogies in Cold Light, as well as featuring two wonderful first time novelists. The Miles Franklin prize is now more than ever a national celebration of Australian writing," Ms Whitlock said.

John Atkin, CEO of The Trust Company, commended the five shortlisted authors on their challenging and evocative novels, "The Trust Company is extremely proud to be associated with the Miles Franklin Award and as Trustee we are constantly working to maintain and develop the legacy Miles Franklin entrusted us with for the advancement of Australian literature. As part of that role we have been looking at the ambiguity around "Australian life in any of its phases". It has been much cause for debate and there has been a traditionally conservative interpretation of the quote. I wrote to the judges authorising them to use their discretions to modernise the interpretation of "Australianess" beyond geographical boundaries to include mindset, language, history and values, as is in keeping with the current Australian literary landscape."

Each of the shortlisted authors will be awarded $5,000 prize money from Copyright Agency Limited's Cultural Fund, a long-term partner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award.

The shortlist events at National Library of Australia, Canberra on 29 May, also sponsored by the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund include a public meet the author event. The winner will be announced in Brisbane on 20 June 2012 at the State Library of Queensland.

Departures: 2012 Miles Franklin Literary Award longlist announced

The Trust Company, as Trustee of The Franklin Fund today announced the highly anticipated longlist for the 2012 Miles Franklin Literary Award, from which the winner of the $50,000 prize will be announced in June. In a bumper year for the Award, 13 novels have been included in the longlist, reflecting the strength and quality of the 61 entries.

Established by writer, Miles Franklin, to support and encourage authors of Australian literature, the Miles Franklin Literary Award is Australia's oldest and most prestigious literary prize. The winner of the award will receive $50,000 for the novel of the year judged to be of the highest literary merit which 'must present Australian life in any of its phases'.

Departures: Entries open for the Kathleen Mitchell Award

The Trust Company as Trustee has called for entries for the 2012 Kathleen Mitchell Award for talented young writers and announced a substantial increase in the prize money awarded to the 2012 winner from $10,000 to $15,000.

The biennial Kathleen Mitchell Literary Award presents $15,000 to a young Australian author aged 29 years or less at the time of their book's first publication. The Trust Company will announce the winner in early June as the entry judged to be of the highest literary merit.

Established in 1996 by the will of Kathleen Adele Mitchell, the 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.