THE ANNUAL TEXT PRIZE FOR YOUNG ADULT & CHILDREN’S WRITING

Congratulations to Alice Boyle who has been selected as the winner of the $10,000 Text Prize for her YA novel Dancing Barefoot. Two writers, Ellie Casey and Emilie Morscheck, were chosen as recipients of the Steph Bowe Mentorship.

Congratulations to the all of the 2021 Text Prize shortlist! You can click here to read about the shortlisted writers and their manuscripts.

Awarded annually to the best manuscript written for young readers, the $10,000 Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing aims to discover incredible new books by exciting authors. The prize has unearthed extraordinary, multi-award-winning books and launched international publishing careers. 

Since its inception in 2008, the Text Prize has become one of the most renowned prizes for young adult and children’s writing in Australia and New Zealand. The winner of the 2020 Text Prize was Andrew Paterson for his stand-out middle-grade debut novel, Rainfish, which will be published in August 2021. 

Near the beginning of each year, published and unpublished writers of all ages are invited to submit works of fiction or non-fiction for young readers. The winner receives a publishing contract with Text and a $10,000 advance against royalties. 

The Steph Bowe Mentorship for Young Writers

The Steph Bowe Mentorship for Young Writers is an initiative designed to nurture and encourage an exciting new writer in Australian children’s literature under the age of 25. It is awarded to the Text Prize entrant the judging panel believes would receive the most benefit from the mentorship.

The winner is paired with a middle grade or young adult author for a 20-hour mentorship over a period of 6–12 months. They also receive a 12-month membership with Express Media and complimentary issues of Voiceworks Magazine, as well as a 12-month membership to their state writers centre.

The mentorship is held in the memory of Steph Bowe, and to honour her longstanding commitment to fostering and mentoring young writers. Steph’s own first book was published when she was 16. She became a highly sought-after speaker, who encouraged young writers and travelled around the country to visit schools and festivals. Her books were longlisted for multiple awards and Night Swimming was named a Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book.

The mentorship is run in partnership with LoveOzYA, and is supported by Express Media and the National Writers’ Centre Network. It will run for a period of three years, starting in 2021.

How to Enter

The Text Prize is now closed for submissions. A link to the Terms and Conditions for the 2021 prize is available here. N.B. these T&Cs are for the 2021 Prize only. Text reserves the right to alter any or all of them for future years.

If you have any questions about the prize, please contact books@textpublishing.com.au.