The judges of the CAL Scribe Fiction Prize, Kerryn Goldsworthy, Mark Rubbo and Aviva Tuffield, are thrilled to announce the shortlist for the inaugural prize:
Maris Morton, 'A Darker Music'
Meg Mundell, 'Black Glass'
Jane Sullivan, 'Little People'
The CAL Scribe Fiction Prize for writers over 35 attracted 534 entrants, with the eldest born in 1919 (90 years old), while 22 entrants were born in the 1920s and 64 in the 1930s.
The standard was very high and it was a tough task to narrow the longlist down to just three manuscripts.
Aviva Tuffield, Fiction Acquisitions Editor at Scribe, says: 'The judging process was quite lengthy and the judges admired all of the longlisted manuscripts. However, after much deliberation, we feel confident of the calibre of the three shortlisted works. Narrowing it down to one winner will be extremely tricky.'
The winner will be announced on Thursday 18 February at the newly opened Wheeler Centre in Melbourne. The winner will receive $12,000 and a book contract from Scribe.
Tuffield added: 'I do hope that ultimately Scribe will be able to publish more than just the winning book.
Here is the full longlist:
George Dunford – A Butterfly Goodbye
Angus Gaunt – Under the Ha-Ha
Leah Kaminsky – The Waiting Room
Jonathan Marshall – A Life of Fire
Maris Morton A Darker Music
Meg Mundell – Black Glass
Andrew Nette – Last Chances
Jane Sullivan – Little People
Niki Tulk – Shadows and Wings
Jen Webb – The Idea of Gravity