The Richell Prize

Hachette Australia has announced a new Prize for emerging writers, set up in memory of my husband and their former CEO, Matt Richell. Established in partnership with The Guardian and The Emerging Writers’ Festival, the Richell Prize  is an exciting new initiative designed to offer financial and practical support to some of the very best unpublished writers working in Australia. It is a fitting legacy for a man who found such joy in nurturing writers and whose untimely death last July devastated so many of us in the book industry. Our hope is that through this annual Prize, many exciting new voices and authors’ careers will be launched and, as Matt’s family, our gratitude to the people involved is boundless.

 Writing requires great courage, a leap of faith, intense dedication to the craft and the support and encouragement of others. If you feel you are ready for this support, please take that leap and submit your work to The Richell Prize. You could win $10,000 prize money to assist you with your writing, as well as a one-to-one 12-month mentorship programme with a Publisher at Hachette Australia, to help you shape your manuscript. The Prize also includes the opportunity to have a portion of your work published in The Guardian and attendance at their Guardian Masterclass series.

 All the details on how to submit to the Richell Prize can be found here. So please, be brave. The Richell Prize is actively looking for new writing talent and this could be the start of your exciting new career.

** I would like to personally thank Hachette Australia, The Guardian, The Emerging Writers’ Festival and Razor/Joy for making this Prize possible. I am also immensely grateful to Simpsons Solicitors for assisting with the administration of the Prize. **