Emerging Writers' Festival

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Emerging Writers' Festival 10-18 Sept 2026

Announcing the 2026 Richell Prize shortlist, in partnership with Hachette Australia!Of the 1,022 entries, the judging pa...
15/10/2026

Announcing the 2026 Richell Prize shortlist, in partnership with Hachette Australia!

Of the 1,022 entries, the judging panel has narrowed it down to just six shortlisted entries. Congratulations to....

- Chloe Anne | THE HOUSE WHERE MERCY DIED

- Mike Boynes | MOOLA BULLA

- Farrin Foster | THE SAME HOUSE

- Euri Glenn | HARVEST

- KT Major | PERIL

- Gillian Worrall | EXHIBIT A FOR ALTHEA

To hear more about the judges, the judging process, and the shortlisted entries, head to the official announcement on the EWF blog: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/blog/2026/announcing-the-2026-richell-prize-shortlist/

Looking back on our opening event of EWF 2026, an evening of Blak rage, horror and retribution! 🔥Hosted by our guest cur...
08/10/2026

Looking back on our opening event of EWF 2026, an evening of Blak rage, horror and retribution! 🔥

Hosted by our guest curator moirra., this event featured First Nations writers from across the continent; Zarah Yakubu, Gutterboy, and Samara-Jade Sendek. What a perfect way to open this year's festival!

Want to be part of events like this, or want to pitch your own? Keep your eyes out for our yearly Open Artist Call-Out coming at the end of the year! Stay tuned on our socials or join our newsletter community to be the first to hear about opportunities for our 2027 festival: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/y/06705EEF573EA3AE

Big thank-you to Elena Hogan for her photography work at

We are delighted, along with Hannah Richell and the Richell family, and in partnership with Hachette Australia, to annou...
18/09/2026

We are delighted, along with Hannah Richell and the Richell family, and in partnership with Hachette Australia, to announce the longlist for the 2026 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers.

For full info and insight into the judging, see here: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/blog/2026/2026-richell-prize-longlist/

✍ The Richell Prize longlisted writers for 2026 are:
Chloe Anne, The House Where Mercy Died
Lazio Akbar, Resonance: The Archive of Silences
Noor Ahmed, Dhaka, Written in Skin
Kirsty Anantharajah, Ila
Arden Baker, On Winds Fair and Fast
Rhea Cai, Decoherence
Rachel Coutinho, Rani’s Choice
Tracey-Lee Daranjo, A Long Forgetting
Travis Englefield, August Kennedy
Farrin Foster, The Same House
Euri Glenn, Harvest
Lucas Grainger-Brown, Ursong
Mike Boynes, Moola Bulla
Nalini Jacob-Roussety, Old Arts
KT Major, Peril
Carielyn Tunion, Aswang
Gillian Worrall, Exhibit A for Althea
Magz Morgan, Ethel’s War
Meagan Neil, In the Keeping of Women
Anthony Nicola, Pousti
Hattie Salmon, Webs
Harriet Radford, Blue Moon 3
Jonno Revanche, The Sky Looks Bigger in Other Places
Madeleine Speed, Excellent Behaviour

Congratulations to all the listed writers! We can't wait to share the shortlist with you all!

Today, our 2026 festival begins!Join us tonight for Opening Night: .RETRIBUTION., an evening of Indigenous self-determin...
10/09/2026

Today, our 2026 festival begins!

Join us tonight for Opening Night: .RETRIBUTION., an evening of Indigenous self-determination from Blak writers from across the continent.

You can also check out this year's digital exhibitions 'Nostalgic Debris' in partnership with Junkee Media, and 'EWF X Hate Mail', an exclusive digital zine available now on our website.

Check out what's on offer: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/festival/

We are so excited to share these next ten days with you!

Launching EWF and Blindside Gallery's 2026 Texting Images season, writers respond to 'found images' with new ekphrastic ...
09/09/2026

Launching EWF and Blindside Gallery's 2026 Texting Images season, writers respond to 'found images' with new ekphrastic writing. Led by Autumn Royal, experience new writing at Blindside Gallery.

📅 Thursday 17 September, 6-7PM
📍 Blindside Gallery, North Melbourne
🎟 Free tickets available now

Book your spot here: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/event/texting-images-launch/

We can't wait to see you there!

Don't miss Modern Mehfil - IT'S ALMOST SOLD OUT Part of the syncretic heritage of South Asia, a mehfil is an intimate, o...
08/09/2026

Don't miss Modern Mehfil - IT'S ALMOST SOLD OUT

Part of the syncretic heritage of South Asia, a mehfil is an intimate, often formal gathering for the performing arts. Bring your yearning words, poetry and feelings or simply swing by to hear our featured performers take you through a q***r reimagination of this affair.

📍 Studio Take Care
📅 Sunday 13 September, 8.30-10PM
🎫 Free/Pay-What-You-Wish tickets selling fast: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/event/modern-mehfil/

We can't wait to see you there!

What can the future of space look like beyond extractive and colonial practices that characterise much of modern space e...
08/09/2026

What can the future of space look like beyond extractive and colonial practices that characterise much of modern space exploration?

Write towards these sorts of questions at WRITING WITH SPACE, with Harriet Hurley co-founder of (Un)Common Cosmos. In this online workshop, uncover the myriad ways we imagine our place among the stars.

📍 Online, via Zoom
📅 Monday 14 September, 7.45-8.45PM
🎫 Tickets from $10

Book your tickets here: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/event/writing-with-space/

Explore science and speculative fiction as a world-building process, using space exploration as a canvas for our imagination. See you there!

Want to attend EWF digitally this year? We've got you covered!Check out these events that are fully online, beaming our ...
07/09/2026

Want to attend EWF digitally this year? We've got you covered!

Check out these events that are fully online, beaming our festival through cyberspace to your computer.

Curate your EWF experience by filtering our festival page to 'Ethers', and explore the full range of digital events we have on offer this year.

Check it out on our website via the link in our bio, or here: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/festival?_sft_eventtype=ethers

We can't wait to see you there!

Get exclusive industry insights with editors, publicists and publishing professionals from Simon & Schuster, at LIFECYCL...
07/09/2026

Get exclusive industry insights with editors, publicists and publishing professionals from Simon & Schuster, at LIFECYCLE OF A BOOK! 📚

A half-day masterclass for those looking to gain practical knowledge about negotiations, editorial collaboration, marketing strategies, and building an author profile. An irresistible chance to explore every phase of a book’s release.

Book your spot here: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/event/lifecycle-of-a-book-simon-and-schuster/

📍 The Wheeler Centre
📅 Thursday 17 September, 9:00AM-2:15PM
🎫 Tickets from $50

Check out the event on our website for a full breakdown of the masterclass schedule. We can't wait to see you there!

Our community litfair is back!Join us 18 September at Abbotsford Convent for an evening of wandering stalls offering zin...
05/09/2026

Our community litfair is back!

Join us 18 September at Abbotsford Convent for an evening of wandering stalls offering zines, homemade wares, independent books, magazines, and more! Mingle with writers, artists, small press publishers and grassroots collectives.

CLOSING NIGHT LITFAIR
📍 Abbotsford Convent
📅 Thurs, 18 Sept, 5.30PM
🎫 Tix from $10: https://emergingwritersfestival.org.au/event/closing-night-litfair-how-long-is-forever/

We can't wait to share the evening with you!

Photos by Grace Auld

Address

176 Little Lonsdale Street
Melbourne, VIC
3000

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+61 3 9094 7877

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