Greek Australian author Will Kostakis has been recognised in the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards.
Kostakis is being celebrated for his work in the young adult fiction genre, shortlisted in the final five for the young adult literature category for his book ‘We Could Be Something’.
He will now eligible for part of the $600,000 prize pool on offer for successful winners of the competition.
A celebrated, award winning author, he has written many queer young adult novels and has been previously been nominated for the Awards.
He was first published at just 19-years-old and is a powerful voice in queer young adult literature in Australia.
Kostakis regularly tours schools speaking about his books and has spoken openly about his struggles with censorship in schools.
His latest novel ‘We Could Be Something’ follows two 17-year-old Greek-Australians, Harvey, an aspiring dropout whose fathers are getting divorced, and Sotiris, an overachiever who has just released his first novel, with the pair’s stories intersecting on a street in Darlinghurst.
When selecting his work for the awards the judges praised the quality of his storytelling.
“Kostakis has achieved a new level of excellence with this novel, capturing both characters with crisp, clear prose, layered with meaning and pathos.”
“Brimming with raw emotion and truth, We Could Be Something contains vivid descriptions of the Darlinghurst and Kings Cross area of Sydney, and of Greek-Australian culture, intergenerational living, and Australia’s LGBTQI evolving communities.”
The annual awards highlight works of high literary merit published in the previous calendar year, the 2024 award winners will be announced in September.
