We’re delighted to announce that Anna Krien, Jill Stark and Jeff Sparrow are the featured artists at The 2017 Scribe Nonfiction Prize Shortlist Masterclass.

Now in its fifth year, The 2017 Scribe Nonfiction Prize is a unique development award to foster talented writers aged 30 and under writing longform work. Entries are currently open, and submissions between 5,000 and 10,000 words are welcome across all nonfiction genres, including memoir, journalism, essay, and creative nonfiction.

The 2017 winner will receive cash prize of $3000, an editorial mentorship to develop their work and a generous selection of new-release Scribe books tailored to their reading interests. Shortlisted writers also receive a book-pack from Scribe publications and personalised feedback relating to their entry. All shortlisted writers will receive an invitation to an exclusive craft development masterclass with Anna Krien, Jill Stark and Jeff Sparrow, three of Australia’s best nonfiction writers, at Scribe Publications on November 23.

As a development organisation, Express Media ensures that the Scribe Nonfiction Prize is a valuable opportunity for all writers shortlisted. The masterclass day includes three skill development workshops covering literary techniques in nonfiction storytelling, progressing from idea to manuscript, and preparing your work for a publisher. The masterclass day in 2016, featuring Tom Doig and Melanie Joosten, allowed all shortlisted writers to come together to meet, providing an unforgettable experience for all.

Being a finalist in The 2016 Scribe Nonfiction Prize was such a memorable and defining experience, one that has boosted both my confidence and creative output as a writer. The support and motivation offered by the organisations during your time as a finalist is immensely encouraging. There were so many highlights: the generous and helpful feedback provided on your piece, the workshop, in which you learn from and meet with some of the brightest young minds in the country, and the sense of community and warmth at the awards night, which was simply exhilarating. I implore all young writers to try their hand at entering this prize – you truly do have nothing to lose, and so much tremendous opportunity to gain.

– Louise Jaques, 2016 shortlisted writer

If you’ve got a burning question about the Prize, or just want some advice on your entry, we’ve got the perfect solution. The 2017 Scribe Prize Live Q&A will be hosted online on Thursday 3 August, where staff from Scribe Publications and Express Media will be on hand to answer all your questions in real time. You’ll have access to the expertise editors David Golding and Julia Carlomagno and be able to get some insight into how the prize works and what we’re looking for from submissions.

Get your questions ready and RSVP to the event now.

Anna Krien is the author of Quarterly Essay 66 The Long Goodbye: Coal, Coral and Australia’s Climate Deadlock, Night Games: Sex, Power and Sport, Into the Woods: The Battle for Tasmania’s Forests and Quarterly Essay 45 Us and Them: On the Importance of Animals. Her work has been published in The Monthly, The Age, The Big Issue, Best Australian Essays, Best Australian Stories, Griffith Review and Frankie. In 2014 she won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award in the UK.

Jill Stark is an award-winning journalist and author with a career spanning 18 years in both the UK and Australian media. She spent a decade on staff at The Age covering health and social affairs as a senior writer and columnist and now works as a media consultant and freelance writer contributing to ABC Online, SBS Digital and The Saturday Paper. Her first book, High Sobriety: My Year Without Booze is a best-selling memoir that was long-listed in the Walkley Book of the Year Awards and short-listed in the Kibble Literary Awards. Her second book will be published in 2018.

Jeff Sparrow is an editor, writer and broadcaster. He’s the immediate past editor of Overland literary journal and an honorary fellow at Victoria University. He writes a fortnightly column for Guardian Australia and appears on the Breakfasters show on 3RRR. His most recent book is No Way But This: In Search of Paul Robeson.

The Scribe Nonfiction Prize for Young Writers is presented in partnership with Scribe Publications.