Spineless Wonders, AAWP announce new novella prize

Spineless Wonders has announced the inaugural Novella Prize, in partnership with the Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP).

Spineless Wonders publisher Bronwyn Mehan said the collaboration with the AAWP on the Novella Prize was the culmination of Spineless Wonders’ ‘many years of championing this sub-novel form’, including publications of novellas from Australian authors A S Patrić, Katerina Cosgrove, Ashley Kalagian Blunt, Susan McCreery and Maree Dawes. ‘We are excited to see what great new writing this prize will unearth,’ Mehan added.

AAWP president Julia Prendergast gave further details about the award, stating that it is open to a novella written in prose or verse, ‘as well as hybrid forms of writing, crossing genre boundaries’. The inaugural prize will include a $500 cash prize and fully subsidised fees for the 2024 AAWP conference, as well as potential publication with Spineless Wonders.

This announcement comes alongside the 2024 launch of the publisher’s new imprint, Espresso, which Mehan described as ‘an imprint dedicated entirely to the novella form’. The first two publications from this imprint—The Memory Library (Antonia Pont) and The Most Famous Boy in Town (Bel Schenk)—are set to release next month.

The inaugural Novella Prize is open for entries until 30 June. More information about the prize is available on the AAWP website.

Category: Awards Local news