Writing NSW is proud to announce that the winners of the 2026 Year of the Novel program are Jenny Fraser for a First Nations Scholarship, Sanchana Venkatesh for a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) Scholarship, and Miranda Michalowski for the Young Writer Scholarship, presented with the generous support of Dr Bruce McCabe.
The Year of the Novel 2026 scholarships aim to improve representation in the writing community by amplifying voices that are often marginalised. Each scholarship provides a fully funded place in the 2026 intake of this highly regarded program.
The winners have expressed their excitement at being selected for the scholarship. Fraser has commented, ‘It feels like it’s taken me a lifetime to get onto writing this story down – about the lifetimes of our Old Peoples.’ Venkatesh reflected on the value of the scholarship, ‘I am very excited to dive into the course in 2026 to hone my current manuscript which is in a very rough zero draft stage and learn from established authors.’ Michalowski plans to use the scholarship to develop her first novel, ‘I’m looking forward to spending the year learning from Ashley, and my cohort of writers, as I develop my debut novel, Cutting Room.’
Year of the Novel is designed to offer emerging writers structured, long-term support through providing a subsidised place in Year of the Novel 2026. More than just a course, the program fosters a strong sense of creative community and gives participants a rare chance to focus deeply on developing a manuscript—guided by expert tuition and peer support—over the course of a year.
The CaLD Scholarship was judged by Shankari Chandran, and the First Nations Scholarship was judged by John Morrissey.
The judges commented, ‘All of the applicants struck me as early-career writers with a dedication to learning the craft and developing their abilities. Each applicant proposed an idea for a novel which they wished to develop with the support of the scholarship, and in each case the idea was clearly a close product of the applicant’s personal and professional history.’
Awarded annually, the Year of the Novel Scholarships offer a powerful opportunity for three emerging writers to take the next step in their creative careers with the support of the Year of the Novel program.
Dr Jenny Fraser is a Migunburri Creative Researcher. She edited Plant Power Sisterhood an Anthology of Eco Revolution by Indigenous Women. Her own poetry has been published with Yellow Arrow Journal (USA), IndigenousX, Rabbit Journal and in the anthology This Country Anytime Anywhere by IAD Press. She has attended writer-in-residence programs including Apex Arts in New York City and Magnetic Dreaming Retreat on Magnetic Island FNQ. Fraser has also written for the Havana Biennale, NAICA (Native American Indigenous Cinema and Arts), Conundrum Magazine (Canada), SBS, Overland Literary Journal, and others.
Sanchana Venkatesh is a psychologist and writer. She was shortlisted for the 2021 Peter Carey Short Story Award, the 2025 Newcastle Short Story Award, and longlisted for the 2023/24 Local Word Writing Prize. Her writing appears in the 2018 Newcastle Short Story Award anthology, the 2020 Better Read than Dead Writing Anthology, Kindling & Sage magazine, 2023 Short Stories Unlimited anthology, 2025 Next Generation Anthology, and in the upcoming 2025 Newcastle Short Story Award anthology. Originally from India, she lives on Cammeraygal land in Sydney with her two rescue cats and partner. In her spare time, Sanchana enjoys reading, preferably at the beach, sourcing new craft beers, and deadlifting. You can find her on https://sanchwrites.com.
Miranda Michalowski is a multidisciplinary writer based on unceded Wangal land, working across theatre, poetry, and prose fiction. She is passionate about telling comedic and cathartic stories of modern queer womanhood. Miranda‘s coming-of-age play, Young Bodies/Somebody’s debuted at Flight Path Theatre in 2022, and is published by Playlab. Her second play, Saturday Girls, was shortlisted for the Rodney Seaborn Award and debuted at Belvoir Downstairs in 2023. In 2024, Miranda won the Silver Gull Play Award with her dark comedy monologue, Macaroni and Dead Things. She has completed playwriting mentorships with ATYP (National Studio, Fresh Ink), and has presented work with Hayes Theatre Co. Her poetry appears in Defunkt, Red Ogre Review, Sprig, Many Nice Donkeys and the t’ART Press Between Queer Teeth Anthology.