Thank you to the entrants of this year’s Hawkeye Manuscript Development Prize for sharing your manuscripts with us.
The entries this year comprised various genres including memoir, science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, romance, and contemporary fiction. The judges pored over each entrant’s synopsis, marketing plan, and first 30 pages of their manuscript to determine the longlist.
In previous years we have awarded publishing contracts to numerous entrants, including Khaiah Thomson (the Blackwood series), Nicole Kelly (Lament), Fay Lee (Empathy), Gabriella Kelly-Davies (Breaking Through the Pain Barrier), Camille Booker (What If You Fly?), Jack Roney (The Ghost Train and the Scarlet Moon), Bryn Smith (Magnus Nights: The Helios Incident), Gabrielle Davis (The Road to Freedom), Anne Freeman (Returning to Adelaide), and Mary Greenwood (Moontide).
Carolyn Martinez, Director Hawkeye, said “The competition is the best way for new and emerging authors to show us their grasp on publicity and the first section of their manuscript. This year we are again considering granting some publishing contracts to entrants with outstanding manuscripts and marketing plans.
“Among this year’s entrants, we have been presented with some truly amazing manuscripts. We thank all of you for your diverse perspectives, superb language choices, and moving stories. The range of content and talent was extraordinary. We encourage those who did not make the longlist to refine your writing with the assistance of the feedback, and we look forward to seeing you among next year’s submissions.”
Your judges this year for the longlist were:
- Eileen O’Hely, children’s author, multiple series titles including P.E.P. Squad.
- Jack Roney, author of The Ghost Train and the Scarlet Moon, and the Jarrod O’Connor detective series.
- Paul Garrety, author of The Emerald Tablets, and The Seventh Wave.
- Meesha Whittam, Publicity Officer, Hawkeye Publishing.
Congratulations to this year’s longlisted entrants, in no particular order:
- True North by Maura Pierlot
- The Curlew by Samantha Trayhurn
- The Truth About My Daughter by Jo Skinner
- White Mist by Pippa Oostergetel
- Three Redheads by Azra Berberovic
- The Woman in the Waves by Camille Booker
- The All-Star Star Bazaar by Warwick Sprawson
- Out of the Sea by C. C. Ellinger
- Forgotten by Casey Nott
- Wilder by Pamela Jeffs
- Legacy of the Zashi by Jake Bamford
- One thing you can feel by Robbie Hunt
- Beneath the Abyss by Nicole Lowrey
- New Year’s Eve by Sarah Todman
- Standing in August by H. G. Royster
“Ninety-three entries were received this year,” said Martinez. “The entrants who made the longlist scored the highest when judges examined their synopsis, marketing plan, and 30-page manuscript excerpt.
“Keep a lookout for the shortlist and winner announcements in March and April.”
The winner of the 2023 Hawkeye Manuscript Development Prize will receive a prize valued at $2,500 which includes a structural edit by Lauren Daniels of Brisbane Writers Workshop, and line edit provided by Hawkeye Publishing.
Feedback for all entrants will be provided after the announcement of the competition winner.
“We will do our best to distribute the feedback as soon after the announcement as possible – we know the feedback we provide is the reason for our competition’s popularity,” said Martinez.
Finally, join us in congratulating this year’s longlisted entrants:
- Azra Berberovic
- Camille Booker
- Casey Nott
- C. C. Ellinger
- H. G. Royster
- Jake Bamford
- Jo Skinner
- Maura Pierlot
- Nicole Lowrey
- Pamela Jeffs
- Pippa Oostergetel
- Robbie Hunt
- Samantha Trayhurn
- Sarah Todman
- Warwick Sprawson
Best of luck to all our longlisted entrants in the next phase of the competition!
