Australia's most prestigious award for an unpublished manuscript, the Vogel Literary Award, helped kickstart Tim Winton and Kate Grenville's careers.

But on Monday, the judges for this year's award announced they would be withholding the $20,000 prize and coveted book deal with publishing giant Allen & Unwin. It is only the third time in the Vogel's almost 40-year history that a winner hasn't been chosen.

Emily O'Grady, the winner of the 2018 Vogel Prize. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Allen & Unwin publisher Annette Barlow said the judges were unable to find a manuscript that lived up to the award's "excellent standards".

"This is an award that has literally launched the careers of over one hundred authors," she said in a statement. "But this year, in 2019, there is no winner and – although we're disappointed, of course – I feel the judges' decision speaks to their respect for the award and their desire to maintain the excellent standards of previous winning manuscripts."