2017 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers Longlist

After the mammoth task of reading all 579 entries, we are delighted to announce the 20 writers on the longlist for the 2017 Richell Prize!

Now in its third year, The Richell Prize was established by Hachette Australia in partnership with The Guardian Australia and the Emerging Writers’ Festival to assist emerging writers who are looking to take the next step in their career.

The 2017 longlisted writers are:

Michelle Barraclough, As I Am
Meagan Bertram, Trapped
Lucinda Coleman, Windjana
Sam Coley, State Highway One
Miranda Debeljakovic, Waiting for the Sun
Jacquie Garton-Smith, The Taste of Red Dust
Rose Hartley, The Caravan
Diana Jarman, The Philatelist’s Album
Julie Keys, Triptych
Kinch Kinski, Tabula
Carolyn Malkin, The Demon Drink
Fay Patterson, Tinker Tinker
Caitlin Porter, The Pearl Diver
Natasha Rai, Light in Dark Corners
Julie Scanlon, The Other Shade of Black
Stewart Sheargold, Wolf Whistle
Joshua Taylor, The Life and Times of a River
Jacqueline Trott, The Song of River Country
Bronte Winn, Edward
Karen Wyld, Where the Fruit Falls

The writers on the longlist will be judged on the first three chapters of the submitted work, along with a synopsis outlining the direction of the proposed work and details about how the author’s writing career would benefit from winning the Prize.

The winner will receive $10,000 in prize money, to be donated by Hachette Australia, along with a 12-month mentorship with one of Hachette Australia’s publishers. Hachette Australia will work with the winning writer to develop their manuscript with first option to consider the finished work and shortlisted entries for publication. As well as promoting the Prize, The Guardian Australia will publish an extract of the first chapter of the winning work on its website.

The judging panel includes Izzy Roberts-Orr, Emerging Writers’ Festival’s artistic director; Hannah Richell, bestselling author; Amelia Lush, bookseller and Robert Watkins, publisher at Hachette Australia.

The shortlist will be announced on October 2, with the winner announced in Sydney on November 1.

The Prize has also been made possible through the support of Simpsons Solicitors and Joy. The Emerging Writers’ Festival involvement in this Prize has been sponsored by Simpsons Solicitors.

The Richell Prize was established in memory of Hachette Australia’s CEO, Matt Richell, who died suddenly in 2014.