The Indigenous Writers Mentorship (formerly the Boundless Indigenous Writers Mentorship) is a joint initiative between Text Publishing and Writing NSW. It is awarded to an unpublished Indigenous writer who has made substantial progress on a fiction or non-fiction writing project. The purpose of the program is to discover and nurture a powerful new Indigenous voice in Australian literature and to support the writer as they develop their manuscript and seek publication.
The Indigenous Writers Mentorship will reopen for submissions soon.
The recipient of the year-long mentorship will be paired with a senior Indigenous writer working in the same genre, who will provide feedback on their manuscript and professional advice. They will also receive professional development from Text Publishing and Writing NSW.
The 2025 mentorship, judged by Associate Professor Jeanine Leane, alongside representatives from Text Publishing and Writing NSW, was awarded to Yasmin Johnson for her non-fiction work exploring intergenerational storytelling set in Palm Island. You can read about the winning manuscript here.
Johnson will be mentored by Leane. Jeanine Leane is a Wiradjuri writer, poet, critic and essayist. Her first volume of poetry, Dark Secrets After Dreaming: A.D. 1887–1961 (2010), won the Scanlon Prize for Indigenous Poetry. She has won the Oodgeroo Noonuccal Prize for Poetry, and has received the Red Room Poetry Fellowship. Her most recent work, Gawimarra, Gathering, was published in 2024 by the University of Queensland Press. Gawimarra, Gathering won the 2025 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Poetry.
Writing NSW CEO Sophie Groom says:
‘Writing NSW is thrilled to be presenting the Indigenous Writers Mentorship again in 2025 in partnership with Text Publishing and with the support of First Nations Australia Writers Network. Some brilliant writers have taken part in the mentorship in the past few years, and we can’t wait to read more of Yasmin’s fascinating family memoir and see how it develops over the course of the program.’
The Mentorship was launched in 2018 and was welcomed by the Indigenous writing community. Submissions were received from all over the country.
Mentorships are an important link in First Nations writing. Either through informal or formal structures, writers gain skills and knowledge of their craft but also of the industry. For First Nations writers, mentoring by their peers can bring literary knowledge but also a cultural perspective in keeping our stories strong without losing the essence of the story.
— Cathy Craigie, founding Director of the First Nations Australia Writers Network
Allanah Hunt was the winner of the inaugural Boundless Indigenous Writer’s Mentorship for her submission Forever and Ever. She was mentored by author Tara June Winch. You can read more about Allanah’s winning submission and the 2019 shortlist here. Forever and Ever will be published by Text in early 2026. Mentorship recipients Lenora Thaker and John Morrissey have also published their work with Text Publishing. Morrissey’s Firelight was published in 2023, and was shortlisted for the 2024 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. Thaker’s The Pearl of Tagai Town was published in July 2025.
For more information, including the opening date for submissions, please stay connected to Text and Writing NSW’s socials. All enquiries about the mentorship should be directed to Writing NSW.
