Richell Prize 2024 shortlist announced

Hachette Australia and the Richell family, in partnership with the Emerging Writers’ Festival (EWF) and Simpsons Solicitors, has announced the shortlist for the 2024 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers.

The seven shortlisted entries, chosen from a longlist announced last month, are:

• ‘Welfare Queens’ (Rebecca Douglas): ‘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.’
• ‘Old Monsters’ (Matt Freeman): ‘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.’
• ‘We All Fall’ (Chloe Hillary): ‘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.’
• ‘Stroke’ (Myles McGuire): ‘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.’
• ‘The Calm After the Storm’ (Averil Robertson): ‘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.’
• ‘The Interpreter’ (Mariam Tokhi): ‘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.’
• ‘Birthright’ (Becca Wang): ‘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 2024 judging panel, chaired for the first time by Hachette Australia publishing director Joel Naoum, this year included Abbey’s Bookshop buyer and bookseller Lindy Jones; editor and writer Bianca Valentino; Avenue Bookstore bookseller Anjelica Rush; Hachette head of literary Vanessa Radnidge; and author Hannah Richell.

They 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 winner will be announced at a special 10-year anniversary event on 27 November.

Last year’s winner was Alex Sawyer for the manuscript ‘Rat Daniels’.

Category: Awards Local news