Longlist announcement: 2025 Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize
The Hawkeye Publishing team and our esteemed judges are thrilled to reveal the longlist for the 2025 Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize!
This year, we received an astonishing 192 entries, showcasing an incredible range of storytelling talent. After careful deliberation, 22 outstanding manuscripts have been selected for the longlist. Our judges were truly impressed by the high calibre of writing and the diversity of voices in this year’s competition.
Congratulations to this year’s longlisted entrants, in no particular order:
- Alpine Secrets by Nikki Lee Taylor
- Black Gully by Jack Roney
- Validus by Penny Andrews
- Five Stages of Grace by Casey Nott
- These Women are Wicked by Lynmari Cleminson
- Uncomfortable Silence by Louise Martin-Chew
- Wolf of War by Andrew Campbell
- The Storm Princes by Vanessa Ma
- Tiny Steps Forward by Elena Savchenko-Belsky
- 1 Pinetree Road by Elisa Cristallo
- Hello No! How Far Can You Go? By Jan-Andrew Henderson
- Milk Fever by Coby Sullivan
- Instructions For Lightkeepers by Rachel Bowman
- The Girl in the Corner by Emma Grevilla
- Fury Bay by Lucia Nardo
- The Break of Light by Casey Keogh
- Flying Free on Rainbow Wings by Stephen Castley
- The Loved Ones by Jade Rose
- You Can’t Say That by Kylie Eklund-Denman
- Homecoming by Christine Betts
- The Bus Stop at Paradise Beach by Colleen Goth
- The Wall Within by Laura Morris
A huge congratulations to all our longlisted authors! We invite everyone to celebrate their achievements and wish them the best as they progress to the next stage of judging.
What’s Next?
Shortlist Announcement: March 2025
Winners Announced: April 2025
The overall winner, runner-up, and third-place finalist will be revealed in April. For up-to-date competition announcements, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
The Prize
The 2025 Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize is valued at $3,500 and includes a structural edit by Lauren Daniels, Director of Brisbane Writers Workshop, and a line edit provided by Hawkeye Publishing
Every entrant will receive feedback on their manuscript within three months of the winners' announcement.
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
Thank you to our sponsor, Lauren Daniels, a highly experienced editor and the Director of Brisbane Writers Workshop, who provides the winner with a structural edit.
‘We’ve had tremendous feedback each year from the writer who’s been afforded the opportunity to work with Lauren,’ said Carolyn Martinez, Director of Hawkeye.
Since 2019, every winner of the Hawkeye Prize has been contracted for publication. Additionally, all longlisted manuscripts are considered by Hawkeye’s submissions review panel for a potential trade publishing contract.
We look forward to announcing the winners in April.