Express Media and Scribe Publications are excited to announce the shortlist for The 2017 Scribe Nonfiction Prize for Young Writers.

Now in its fifth year, the prize is a unique development award to foster talented writers aged 30 and under writing longform nonfiction work.

In 2017, entries from all over Australia covered areas of nonfiction including memoir, journalism, biography, essay and creative nonfiction.

“This year’s submissions spanned an enormous breadth of subjects, from UFOs, feminism and the hospitality industry, grief and loss, body politics and identity, and Australia’s national security. We travelled through hostels, cities, and bedrooms, to pockets of Tasmania, Vietnam, and Iraq. The twelve young writers shortlisted brought unique perspectives and shared their intimate journeys and explorations with incredible skill,” said Fiona Dunne, Creative Producer of Express Media.

The 2017 Scribe Nonfiction Prize for Young Writers shortlist is:

Sian Campbell – Harriet and the Aliens
Vivian Wei – The Chinese Menu for the Afterlife
Christopher Bryant – The Repetition Compulsion
Nicola Nixon – Skinless
Michael Dulaney – The Prisoners of Colour
Amaryllis Gacioppo – A Partial Palermo Street Directory
Lur Alghurabi – Letters from the Grave
Lou Heinrich – In the Name of the Mother
Kate Simonian – Portrait of the Artist as a Young Stalker
Claire Lowe – Excess Skin
Bastian Phelan – Still Fierce
Toby Fehily – It’s Not An Aircraft

‘We are thrilled with the range and diversity of entries we received this year. This is a strong shortlist, and I know readers will be seeing more lively, intelligent, and exciting work from each of these young writers in the future,’ said Julia Carlomagno, Senior Editor at Scribe.

All shortlisted writers have the opportunity to attend a skills-development masterclass with award-winning nonfiction writers Jill Stark, Jeff Sparrow and Anna Krien, and will receive detailed feedback from the judging panel and a book pack from Scribe Publications.

The 2017 shortlist was selected with a blind judging process by Elizabeth Flux (Editor of Voiceworks from 2013 to 2015), Tim McGuire (Editorial Committee of Voiceworks from 2015 to 2016), Julia Carlomagno (Senior Editor, Scribe Publications) and Fiona Dunne (Creative Producer, Express Media).

The winner will be selected by Scribe Publications and announced on November 23.

The winner will receive a cash prize of $3000, an editorial mentorship with Scribe Publications to develop their work.

For more information, head to expressmedia.wpengine.com/programs/the-scribe-nonfiction-prize.