New prize for unpublished writers

Unpublished writers, want to win $10,000 and a 12 month mentorship with Hachette? Read on…

From the Emerging Writers' Festival website:

About The Richell Prize for Emerging Writers

Hachette Australia, along with the Richell family, have established The Richell Prize for Emerging Writers in partnership with The Guardian Australia and The Emerging Writers’ Festival (EWF), in memory of Hachette Australia’s former CEO, Matt Richell, who died suddenly in July 2014.

Throughout his publishing career, Matt Richell was a passionate advocate for writers and believed investment and support of new voices to be vital for the future of great literature. The Richell Prize has been established to continue Matt’s work in encouraging emerging writers in Australia. It is a prize for unpublished writers who are serious about their craft and aspire to commence a professional writing career.

The Prize is open to unpublished writers of adult fiction and adult narrative non-fiction. Writers do not need to have a full manuscript at the time of submission, though they must intend to complete one. The Prize will be judged on the first three chapters of the submitted work, along with a synopsis outlining the direction of the proposed work and detail 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 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 and will also offer the winner and shortlisted entrants the opportunity to attend their Guardian Australia Masterclass series.

The Prize has also been made possible through the support of Simpsons Solicitors and Razor/Joy.

The Emerging Writers’ Festival involvement in this Prize has been sponsored by Simpsons Solicitors.

Applications open on 2 July 2015 and close 14 August 2015. The shortlist will be announced on 23 September and the winner named on 29 October.

Head to the Emerging Writers' Festival website for details on how to enter.