John Romeril, Melbourne playwright and screenwriter, has been announced as the winner of the 2008 Patrick White Award. This award was set up by Patrick White, using the prize money from his 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature. The aim of the annual award is to recognise Australian writers who may not have received their due recognition.
The relevant Wikipedia page carries a full list of past winners. The most recent of which are:
2007 - David Rowbotham
2006 - Morris Lurie
2005 - Fay Zwicky
2004 - Nancy Phelan
2003 - Janette Turner Hospital
2002 - TAG Hungerford
2001 - Geoff Page
2000 - Thomas W. Shapcott
