Fremantle Press emerging writer longlisted in Richell Prize for Emerging Writers

Em Readman, an emerging writer and contributor to An Unexpected Party: Queer YA Speculative Fiction, has been longlisted for the prestigious 2025 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers, selected from a competitive field of 775 entries.

The recognition marks a significant milestone: Readman credits the confidence gained from contributing their short story in An Unexpected Party – a queer speculative fiction anthology co-curated with Get YA Words Out and edited by Seth Malacari – for powering their decision to submit their manuscript, which explores themes of queer community and the housing crisis.

An Unexpected Party contains stories from emerging writers in the LGBTQIA+ community around Australia, and was published in 2023.

Readman says, ‘In my application I referenced that An Unexpected Party was such a critical experience for me to focus on queer stories through a strength-based lens.’

Entrants are judged on three chapters of their work, a synopsis and details about how their writing career would benefit from winning. The winner will receive $10,000 and a 12-month mentorship with a Hachette publisher.

The shortlist will be announced on 16 October 2025, with the winner announced on 5 November 2025.

The 20 longlisted writers are:

·       Alisha Hall

·       Arden Baker

·       Carrick Tomlin

·       Coco Stallman

·       Em Readman

·       Eynas Brodie

·       Georgia White

·       Hannah Goldstein

·       Jake Dean

·       Jehan Loza

·       Kathryn Gledhill-Tucker

·       Maria El-Chami

·       Mersija Ilic

·       Melanie Hawkes

·       Michelle Fitzgerald

·       Monique Marani

·       Robert Douman

·       Sivashneel Sanjappa

·       Wayne Mok

·       Yang Liu

More information about the award is available on Hachette’s website.