Digital poet wins Queensland Literary Award

Dr Jason Nelson has won the Digital Literature Award at the 2017 Queensland Literary Awards.

Digital artist and writer, Dr Jason Nelson, has won the inaugural Digital Literature Award at the 2017 Queensland Literary Awards.

A senior lecturer at Griffith University’s Queensland College of Art, Dr Nelson won the accolade for his digital poem Nine Million Branches.

Upon landing on the poem’s home page, the piece begins:

“The world, its politics and environments, conflicts and economies, is in peril, in disarray.

“We are flooded with tragic tales and the shameful deeds of others. And because of this we have lost sight of the beauty, the story and narrative hidden in the local, in the landscapes around us.”

The audience is then invited to read, play and explore through the interactive landscape.

The Digital Literature Award, worth $10,000, is awarded to an exceptional work of transmedia or digital literature showcasing innovation in storytelling. It’s the largest of its kind internationally and sponsored by the Queensland Government and the Queensland University of Technology.

In 2017 alone, Dr Nelson has been shortlisted for three awards and this achievement marks his tenth award success throughout his career at Griffith University.