Congrats to the AWC alumni shortlisted for the 2021 $10,000 Text Prize

This week, Text Publishing announced the seven shortlisted manuscripts in the running for the $10,000 Text Prize for young adult and children’s writing – and we were thrilled to spot some familiar names on the list! 

Australian Writers’ Centre alumna Jacqueline Mohr has been shortlisted for her children’s story The Curious Case of the Cocoa Bean, described as “a middle-grade mystery full of humour, interesting characters and an intriguing setting, set in 1953 in Papua New Guinea”. Jacqueline has completed several courses at AWC including How to Write for Children and Young Adults.

And Emilie Morscheck – another talented AWC alumna, is on the shortlist with These Cursed Waters – a compelling YA novel fantasy novel about a cursed boy and 17-year-old Alice on the hunt for answers. Emilie is one of our Novel Writing Essentials course graduates and has authored a number of published short stories.

Congratulations to Jacqueline and Emilie, we’re so excited for you.

What is the Text Prize?

According to the Text Prize website: “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 receives a publishing contract with Text and a $10,000 advance against royalties.”

The winner of the 2021 prize will be announced on 29 July 2021, along with the recipient of the Steph Bowe Mentorship (awarded to one of the shortlisted authors).

Find out more about the Text Prize and view the full shortlist on the Text Publishing website.