Announcing the shortlist for the Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers 2024

We are thrilled to announce the shortlisted writers for this year's Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry categories!

Express Media has been proud to present this prize yet again in 2024, in partnership with Hachette Australia, to showcase excellence in creative writing amongst secondary school aged students around the country.

This unique developmental award will offer the shortlisted entrants an exclusive Q&A session with prize mentor and author Jane Godwin, as well as a writing masterclass and book packs of YA titles courtesy of Hachette Australia. The winner of each category - to be announced on the Express Media YouTube at 12pm AEDT Sunday 3rd Nov - will receive a $500 cash prize and publication of their work on the Express Media website.

This year, the prize received a record 350 entries. The shortlisted winners are:

Fiction

‘Bao’ by Anna Wang (VIC)

‘A Tin of Sardines’ by Ruby Sparks (QLD)

‘All that Blind Eyes Can See’ by Keira Woodman (QLD)

‘Hongbao’ by Sarah Campbell (QLD)

‘The Jigsaw Puzzle’ by Hazel Mazza (VIC)

Nonfiction

‘Cultural Crossroads’ by Sabrina Sceresini (WA)

‘Unfinished Rice’ by Monica Li (VIC)

‘Cardboard Boxes’ by Zoe Michalik (VIC)

‘Banging in the Brain’ by Ella Edwards (TAS)

‘How to Grow Up (in Eight Simple Steps)’ by Olivia Campbell (VIC)

Poetry

‘Reincarnation’ by Alina Denis (QLD)

‘Motherlode’ by Angela Yang (NSW)

‘The Wellspring Dog’ by Macey Smith (NSW)

‘Transition (verb)’ by Chloe Qin (VIC)

‘Look Up’ by Lyra Simpson (NSW)

This shortlist was selected by our judgement readers: Seb Petroni, Aries Gacutan, Joanne Zhou and Sam Himawan.