Scribe and Express Media are thrilled to announce the 2016 Scribe Nonfiction Prize for Young Writers was awarded to Deserae Horswood last night, 18 September, at our 40th birthday celebration.
Deserae’s entry, ‘My Parents’ Ashes Are in the Boot of My Car’, impressed the judges with its exploration of mourning and Mexico’s Day of the Dead festival.
Deserae describes the work as ‘a series of interwoven narrative and theoretical vignettes around mourning, the performance of commemoration, and the ethical mess of writing about lost loved ones’.
Two writers were highly commended: Ronnie Scott for ‘Sights’, an essay about shyness in queer culture, privacy, and surveillance; and Emily Clements for ‘The Lotus Eaters’, a memoir about the interplay of sex, identity, experience, and selfhood.
Deserae receives a cash prize of $3000, an editorial mentorship to develop her work, and a generous selection of new-release Scribe books tailored to her reading interests. Highly commended writers Ronnie and Emily receive a $250 cash prize and selection of new-release books tailored to their interests.
All shortlisted entrants attended a private writing masterclass at the Scribe offices earlier in the day, hosted by Melanie Joosten and Tom Doig, where they workshopped their writing with one another and received a book pack.
Deserae said, ‘Being awarded the 2016 Scribe Nonfiction Prize for Young Writers is exciting and absurd and wonderful, and I’m so grateful to Scribe and Express Media for their support of young creatives. As an emerging artist, sometimes it can be hard to say writer and feel a sense of certainty; opportunities like this help you believe it.”
Congratulations to Deserae, Ronnie, and Emily.
To arrange an interview with Deserae, Ronnie, or Emily, please contact Lilly O’Gorman | (03) 9388 8780 | lilly@scribepub.com.au