Three years after taking out the People's Choice Award at the ACT's largest book prizes, local author Robyn Cadwallader has gone one better and taken out the top honour.
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Cadwallader's latest work, Book of Colours, has been awarded 2019 ACT Book of the Year.
The novel, set in 14th-century London, tells the story of three people drawn together after the commission of an illuminated manuscript of prayers.
The author said the award was a giant encouragement.
"Writing can be a solitary occupation and just about any writer will tell you they're always full of doubt about whether it will work," she said.
"There's something about an award like this that says 'keep on going and you can do this', and I'll remember this when I'm writing."
The awards were announced at a ceremony in Canberra on Thursday morning.
Cadwallader says she's always had a fascination with the role of women during the Middle Ages, having undertaken a PhD on the subject.
As part of her research for the book, she travelled to the British Library, poring over manuscripts that were centuries old.
With a diverse and creative population living in a beautiful environment, Canberra is a natural home for writers.
- Arts Minister Gordon Ramsay
"Those manuscripts helped me to develop the different characters and those four figures then began to take shape," she said.
"Once I had the characters the story started to take shape and it took on a different energy."
The novel is the first work from Cadwallader since her critically acclaimed book The Anchoress.
That book took out the People's Choice Award at the 2016 ACT Book of the Year event, and received a highly commended.
With her win in the 2019 prize, Cadwallader received $10,000 in prize money.
Judges for this year's award lauded Book of Colours as a "vividly realised and absorbing work".
"The book is a beautiful read that skilfully weaves its human themes throughout, with the power to be universal," the judges said.
Other works highly commended in this year's awards included Ellen Broad's Made by Humans and Wild Sea: A History of the Southern Ocean by Joy McCann.
The shortlist was rounded out by One by Andrew Hutchinson, Mirror Me by Rachel Sanderson and Things I've Thought to Tell You Since I Saw You Last by Penelope Layland.
ACT Arts Minister Gordon Ramsay said the shortlisted entries set a very high standard.
"Every year I am impressed by the skill and breadth of entrants into the Book of the Year award," he said.
"With a diverse and creative population living in a beautiful environment, Canberra is a natural home for writers."
This was the 27th iteration of the awards, which began in 1993 with a $5000 prize.
Cadwallader said she was already working on her next novel, which would be loosely connected to her previous two works.
The author said the award win was still sinking in and that it would take a long time to process the news.
"It's really lovely to be recognised in the larger Canberra literary community," she said.
"I'm a bit out of town in Murrumbateman, but I really feel a part of the Canberra writing community and this award is an affirmation of that support."
Andrew Brown
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
