Hachette Australia and the Emerging Writers' Festival announce shortlist for the 2024 Richell Prize.

Hachette Australia, along with the Richell family, and in partnership with the Emerging Writers’ Festival (EWF) and Simpsons Solicitors, is delighted to announce the shortlist for the 2024 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers, now in its tenth year.

Joel Naoum, Publishing Director of Hachette Australia, says ‘This is my first year chairing the Richell Prize judging panel, and the quality of the entries was very high. On behalf of the Richell family, the Emerging Writers’ Festival, and everyone at Hachette, I want to thank all the writers who entered, the judges for their hard work, and congratulate the impressive shortlisted writers. 2024 is shaping up to be a great year for emerging writers.’

Jes Layton, EWF Executive Director & Co-CEO, says ‘The quality of this year’s Richell Prize entries made deciding on a short list an incredibly difficult job for the judges. The calibre is truly that outstanding. Excellent job, judges, and of course congratulations to the seven shortlisted writers from all of us here at EWF. We are excited and so happy for you all.’

This year there were over 1000 entries and every entry was read by two readers before the judging panel – Lindy Jones, from Abbey’s Bookshop; Bianca Valentino, editor and writer; Anjelica Rush, from the Avenue Bookstore; Vanessa Radnidge, Head of Literary at Hachette Australia; and Hannah Richell, bestselling author – all read and discussed the entries to decide on the brilliant shortlisted writers.

They are, in alphabetical order by surname:

Rebecca Douglas WELFARE QUEENS

The use of humour and relatable dialogue immediately drew the judges in with its lively tone. The work is energetic and entertaining right from the start. The judges loved the way it was full of ‘in-your-face’ attitude and brought to life a refreshing cast of characters on the margins of society to address systemic issues surrounding poverty and mental health that set it apart and made for a very memorable story.

Matt Freeman OLD MONSTERS

A spine-chilling collection of horror short stories that are pacy but concise and well edited, with rarely a word out of place. The focus on characters’ experiences and relationships indicates a writer who values depth and complexity and there are fully realised worlds and characters within each story. The judges recognised the restraint and finesse the writer displayed, which added to the unsettling atmospheres and engagement with the stories.

Chloe Hillary WE ALL FALL

A polished and evocative family drama that utilises magical realism to investigate complex themes of human impact on the environment, family tensions, grief and personal growth. The narrative arc is compelling, showing the evolution of relationships over several summers, each marked by significant emotional events and character development. The landscape is subtly and beautifully described and the characters, even the minor ones, are fleshed out and vital. The writer’s observational skills and ability to construct interior dialogue and exterior atmosphere impressed the judges.

Myles McGuire STROKE

The judges found this to be an impressively written fiction revolving around a scandal at a privileged all-boys school. It offers a layered exploration of morality, perception, class, sexuality and abuse. The multiple perspectives add depth and complexity, making it thought-provoking and nuanced. The prose is both evocative and addictive, the characters are fully formed and the dialogue faultless. The judges were keen to keep reading.

Averil Robertson THE CALM AFTER THE STORM

This is an engaging and intriguing work that explores themes of identity, belonging, mental health, and the consequences of crime and the judges found its timely examination of these contemporary issues compelling. The clever examination of redemption appealed and the judges were impressed by the brilliantly realised and evocative setting, the character-driven storyline and the emotional investment the writer extracts from the reader.

Mariam Tokhi THE INTERPRETER

This is a well-constructed and polished work, with believable characters. The exploration of grief, cultural identity, and family struggles engaged the judges on multiple levels. Tension is built up from the beginning but even though there are awful things on the border of knowledge there is also a kernel of hope. The judges were impressed that the work offers a window into the Afghani experiences of trying to balance traditional roles with a society that doesn’t make it easy to integrate whilst expecting assimilation.

Becca Wang BIRTHRIGHT

A finely drawn coming-of-age novel about a young woman growing up in a Chinese-Australian family. The work demonstrates an ability to weave complex emotional themes with an exploration of cultural identity, indicating a strong grasp of character-driven storytelling. The writer’s style demonstrates maturity and an understanding of nuanced relationships. The judges found the story completely engaging and the voice lyrical, confident and compelling. The writer plays skilfully with language and structure: Chinese dialogue is peppered throughout the English-language prose, and this exploration of immigrant identity, racism and family drama in contemporary Australia was impressive.

In announcing the shortlist, the judges said: ‘The increasing importance of the Richell Prize in the Australian literary calendar makes judging this prize a delight. Giving our time to encourage emerging writers and honour Matt Richell’s legacy is something we all feel lucky to be a part of. This year the twenty-one longlisted writers were exceptional, so it was very hard to narrow it down to choose our shortlist. It took many discussions to agree on the seven writers we felt we had to acknowledge because their work and talent were so impressive. Congratulations to the 2024 shortlist and thank you to all the longlisted writers; you made our job very difficult but we love the depth of talent we are seeing in the emerging writer community in Australia. We hope every writer who entered the Prize has benefitted from the experience because we know we have.’  

The Richell Prize winner will be announced at a special ten-year anniversary event on 27 November.

ABOUT THE RICHELL PRIZE

Hachette Australia, together with the Richell family, established The Richell Prize for Emerging Writers in 2015 in partnership with Guardian Australia and the Emerging Writers Festival (EWF) along with support from Simpsons Solicitors. The Prize was launched in memory of Hachette Australia’s CEO, Matt Richell, who died suddenly in July 2014. This is the tenth year of the Richell Prize and it has become an important prize in the development of Australian writers. The Richell Prize is for unpublished writers of any age working across a variety of genres, both fiction and non-fiction. The Prize is awarded on the first three chapters (or first 20,000 words) of a work in progress, alongside a one-page synopsis and the author’s statement of intent. The winner receives a $10,000 cash prize and a unique year-long mentorship with a Hachette publisher.

ABOUT HACHETTE

Hachette Australia has a growing Australian list with around 100 new titles now published each year. The stellar line-up of local authors includes bestselling two-time Gold Dagger winner and ABIA Fiction winner Michael Robotham; bestselling and award-winning ABIA Book of the Year winner Jessica Townsend; Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks; Australia’s bestselling non-fiction writer and favourite storyteller Peter FitzSimons; New York Times bestselling novelist Natasha Lester; Miles Franklin shortlisted Michael Mohammed Ahmad; and the Lothian Children’s Books author and illustrator and Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner Shaun Tan. Hachette Australia proudly supports emerging writers of all ages through The Richell Prize, in association with the Emerging Writers’ Festival; the State Library of Queensland’s black&write! program; and in partnership with Express Media, The Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers. Hachette Australia also represents an array of A-list authors on the international list including Stephen King, Nora Roberts, John Grisham, J.K. Rowling, Ronan Farrow and Delia Owens.