Geraldine Pascall Foundation

CONGRATULATIONS

PAUL BYRNES

The Sydney Morning Herald

Winner of the 2007 Pascall Prize

The winner of the 2007 Pascall Prize
was announced at a presentation
held at the Ray Hughes Gallery in Sydney
on Tuesday September 25th

Her Majesty The Queen (aka Gerry Connolly)
bestows the winner with the Pascall Prize Certificate

Click on Past Winners for more details on Paul

The $15,000 prize is given annually to critic whose work has contributed significantly to public appreciation, enjoyment and understanding of the area or areas of the arts in which he or she is involved. Critics working in all forms of the arts, including areas such as architecture, food and wine, visual and performing arts and literature are encouraged to enter.

The Judges were:

Bruce Elder, Convenor of Judging Panel is currently a full-time journalist/critic with the Sydney Morning Herald and a board member of Geraldine Pascall Pty Limited. Winner of the Pascall Prize in 1996.

Ray Hughes has been a gallery director for the past 38 years. He is best known for his fierce loyalties and individualism and having an eye to discover artists. His Sydney gallery is arguably one of Australia’s leading commercial contemporary art venues.

John McCallum is the Sydney theatre critic for The Australian and a lecturer in theatre at the University of NSW. Winner of the Pascall Prize in 1995.

Julie Rigg is Radio National's specialist film critic and presents Movietime and co-hosts Australia Talks Movies. Winner of the Pascall Prize in 2003.

Julianne Schultz is the founding editor of Griffith REVIEW the quarterly of current affairs and fine writing published by ABC Books in conjunction with Griffith University where she is a professor in the Centre for Public Culture and Ideas. Her journalism has been widely published and she is also the author of several books and two librettos.

Introduction
Music & Opera Singers Trust (MOST) manages and co-ordinates The Geraldine Pascall Foundation. The Foundation offers the only major national prize awarded for critical writing / reviewing in Australia. The Pascall Prize is awarded each year to a critic whose work over the previous 12-15 months has contributed significantly to public appreciation, enjoyment and understanding of the area or areas of the arts in which he or she is involved. A Director of the Foundation convenes the judging panel which includes industry peers and previous winners. The winner of the Pascall Prize is named as the ‘Critic of the Year’ and awarded $15,000 at an elegant presentation in Sydney.

Overview

Geraldine Pascall was a flamboyant journalist who died suddenly of a stroke in 1983 at the age of 38. With the proceeds of her estate it was decided to establish a memorial prize. The Pascall Prize was originally conceived as a biennial literary award for creative writers who have made original and distinctive contributions to Australia's cultural life. However, from 1990, The Pascall Prize was to be awarded annually to a critic or reviewer who wrote regularly for a newspaper or periodical published in Australia, or broadcast regularly on radio or television in Australia.

The Prize was to either mark a lifetime contribution or encourage a brilliant younger writer. It was felt that this change of focus better reflected the work and the personal interests of the late Geraldine Pascall. The Trustees intended that, each year, the Pascall Prize would be awarded to a critical writer working regularly in one of the following areas:

books
art, including design and architecture
food and/or wine
music & music theatre/dance and drama
film, television and radio

Only sport was specifically excluded. In 1996, the Trustees resolved to award The Pascall Prize to a critic or reviewer whose body of work has contributed significantly to the area of the arts in which he or she is involved and not for a specific category.

Now, the Pascall Prize aims to identify and reward a writer or critic whose work has:

The ability to stimulate interest in the subject
The ability to expand knowledge about the subject
The ability to arouse debate
The ability to be a vital, engaging voice in the culture through the expression of strongly held opinion based firmly in deep knowledge and understanding of the subject
Intrinsic merit as pieces of writing or broadcasting


Directors of the Trustee, Geraldine Pascall Pty Ltd