Sri Lankan Australian playwright S Shakthidharan has won the prestigious Windham-Campbell Prize for drama, receiving US$175,000 (AU$250,000), alongside American playwright Christina Anderson.

Shakthidharan, widely known as Shakthi, was honoured for his ambitious, multigenerational plays exploring the Sri Lankan Tamil migrant experience, including his acclaimed debut Counting and Cracking. The work, co-written with Belvoir’s Artistic Director Eamon Flack, previously won the AU$100,000 Victorian Prize for Literature in 2020.

S Shakthidharan. Portrait supplied

Reacting on Instagram, Shakthidharan said he was “still in shock”, noting the award was based solely on the judges’ reading of his work. “A group of strangers overseas – who had never heard of me – were taken in by these stories of Asia and Australia and chose to embrace them,” he wrote.

Inspired by the playwright’s family history, Counting and Cracking has toured internationally, including seasons in the UK and New York. 

Administered by Yale University, the Windham-Campbell Prizes recognise writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama for their body of work. Candidates are nominated anonymously and cannot apply.

Established through the philanthropy of writer Donald Windham, the Windham-Campbell Prizes aim to recognise literary achievement and give recipients the financial freedom to focus on their work. 

Previous Australian winners include playwright Patricia Cornelius (2019), Yankunytjatjara poet Ali Cobby Eckermann (2017) and author Helen Garner in 2016.