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Tasmanian Literary Awards

Margaret Scott Tasmanian Young Writer's Fellowship

Awarded to a young Tasmanian young writer (aged 30 years and under).

Named in honour of well-known Tasmanian writer, Margaret Scott (1934–2005).

The recipient of the Margaret Scott Tasmanian Writer’s Fellowship will also be offered a publishing opportunity in Island Magazine in 2023.

Winner

Stephanie Jack

Winner Tasmanian Literary Awards 2022 Badge

Judges’ comments:

Choosing a winner for the inaugural Margaret Scott Tasmanian Young Writer’s Fellowship was a difficult task that required much conversation. We were unanimous in our decision to select Stephanie Jack. Stephanie’s submission of three excerpts shows her versatility as a playwright and creative nonfiction writer. Her work stood out as inquisitive, wide-ranging and highly polished. It was a pleasure to read. Her exploration of local themes and topics was unique in its presentation of a multicultural Australia. We look forward to reading and seeing more of Stephanie’s writing.

Shortlist

  • Bridie Graham
  • Stephanie Jack
  • Arianne James

shortlist

Bridie Graham

Bridie Graham lives in nipaluna / Hobart with her Golden Retriever, Sunny, and her numerous house plants. In 2021, Bridie completed her Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Creative Writing. Now she’s carrying out a Masters in Secondary Education with a special interest in creative writing as a medium for Indigenous self-expression. Bridie grew up in Binalong Bay and still spends her days collecting seashells and swimming in the Tasman Sea. One day Bridie hopes to write the next Great Australian Novel.

Stephanie Jack

Stephanie Jack is an Asian Australian actor and writer based in nipaluna / Hobart. Since graduating from the M.F.A Acting program at Harvard University's A.R.T Institute in 2015, her credits have included Amazon Prime’s Deadloch, and Archipelago Productions’ The Maids. Her interdisciplinary work spans video, music, and text, and offers playful and poetic insights into personal acts of cultural reclamation. She has written for Forty South and Peril, and is co-writing a play called mouthful of c words for Salamanca Arts Centre. With the support of Asialink, Arts Tasmania, and Regional Arts, Stephanie is developing Mixed Feelings, a play inspired by her year in Shanghai learning Mandarin. She was recently recognised as one of 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian Australians of 2022.

Arianne James

Arianne is a writer of fiction and avid reader. She has a Bachelor of Behavioural Science and First-Class Honours in Creative Writing from the University of Tasmania. Her short stories have been published in The Hunter Writers Centre’s 2015 Grieve anthology, Swinburne University’s journals Backstory and Other Terrain (2016), and Corvid Queen magazine (2021). She has completed four residencies at Varuna, The National Writers’ House, the third of which transpired after she was selected for ‘Reading and Writing the Short Story,’ a focus week with Tegan Bennett Daylight. In 2020 she was shortlisted for the KSP Upcoming Writer Residency and the HNSA Elizabeth Jane Corbett mentorship. In 2022 she was awarded a month-long residency at Glover Country from Arts Tasmania, along with grants through the Creative Support Small Grants Fund (Arts Tasmania) and Quick Response Grants from RANT Arts to assist with the costs of her mentorship with Dr. Angela Slatter. Arianne currently works at TasWriters as their Project Coordinator.

Judges’ comments:

Judging the inaugural Margaret Scott Tasmanian Young Writer's Fellowship has been a privilege and a challenge. The entrants provided thoughtful samples of writing in a range of literary styles – from poetry to short fiction, playscripts to essays. These young writers took us on journeys through familiar landscapes and into imaginary worlds. They told stories through the eyes and voices of invented characters, and some reflected on their own experiences of childhood and young adulthood. The three shortlisted writers, though very different in style, all demonstrated a blend of creativity and craft that will provide a strong foundation for their writing futures, and a platform from which to challenge themselves to grow as writers.