Writing has brought me so much joy and peace. There’s something incredibly liberating about stepping into your creative mind- away from pressure, away from deadlines- and learning new skills, building worlds, and giving life to characters you believe deserve to exist. It’s an exceptional feeling.

‘It can be experimental. It can be multimodal. It can be beautiful. It’s maturing as a genre but it’s always evolving.’

‘Even though I write poetry only in English, the other languages I speak shape how I think, through idiom, rhythm, and ways of seeing. That sometimes leads to unusual metaphors and sentence structures, which I like to lean into.’

‘The best illustrations take the story to another level and add extra layers of meaning and subtleties that can be discovered or are revealed over multiple readings.’

“The experience of leaving your homeland, for many not by choice, is what binds us together.”

The Wulgurukaba writer has been named this year’s recipient, in recognition of her emerging voice and storytelling excellence.

“I am often inspired by visiting unfamiliar places, the different sounds you hear as well as words. I suppose I was brought up in a family where language was entertainment…”

Five writers with distinct and diverse voices will be mentored through the process of preparing short works for publication.

“I have travelled widely to places connected with each one of the scientists I have written about. I have met quite a few people and gathered information. Many times, I have taken the pictures myself.”