Following the announcement of the inaugural Stella Prize, which celebrates great books by Australian women writers, an all-female shortlist has been announced for the 2013 Miles Franklin Award.

Above right: Shortlisted author, Drusilla Modjeska, at a Friends of Fryer event last year.

The judging panel includes: Richard Neville, Mitchell Librarian, State Library of New South Wales; journalist Murray Waldren; Sydney-based bookseller Anna Low; Adjunct Professor Susan Sheridan from Flinders University, Adelaide; and Craig Munro, biographer, book historian, and founding chair of the Queensland Writers Centre.

The winner of the $60 000 prize will be revealed on June 19th 2013.

However, no prize will be awarded this year for the Australian/Vogel's Literary Award. It is the second time that no prize was selected by the judges. A full statement is available from the Allen & Unwin website.