We’re delighted to announce the successful applicants to our 2022 mentoring program for emerging writers from Indigenous or culturally diverse backgrounds.

This year’s winners are Jacqueline Mohr, Mayu Kanamori, Harold Legaspi, Audrey Newton, Azka Hameed and Layla Tan. The six winners will each have the chance to work under the guidance of award-winning writer Roanna Gonsalves and with support from Writing NSW.

The judges said that the quality of applications to the program was outstanding, “which just goes to show that there is an astounding depth of literary talent amongst culturally diverse emerging writers in Australia”.

“From historical fiction and speculative storytelling to contemporary political satire, the six winners move beyond clichés of immigrant stories towards an articulation of complex and fresh insights on cultural multiplicity,” the judges said. The incredible range of genres and styles of writing submitted for this program suggests that the future of Australian storytelling is in good hands.”

The mentorship program is part of a series of Writing NSW diversity initiatives presented with funding from Create NSW.