Tim Winton was born in 1960 in Western Australia. He attended a Creative Writing Course at Curtin University in Perth, and it was there that he began his first novel, An Open Swimmer. It was entered for The Australian/Vogel Award in 1981 and won. With The Riders Winton made his first appearance on The Booker Prize shortlist in 1995. It didn't win the Booker but it did, however, win The Miles Franklin Award in 1992, to follow his first win of that award with Shallows in 1984. In addition The Riders won the best novel award in the South East Asia and South Pacific section of The Commonwealth Writers Prize in 1995. Tim Winton has also become the patron of the Tim Winton Award for Young Writers… which is sponsored by the City of Subiaco in Western Australia.