Thursday, 19 March 2026
Books+Publishing @booksandpublishing
Hachette Australia has announced it will partner with Sweatshop Literacy Movement to create an annual scholarship for two First Nations and/or culturally and linguistically diverse writers.
The scholarship, which will start in 2026 and is open to children’s and adult writers, provides “publishing and editorial support from experienced Hachette publishing representatives for two writers to develop their work with the aim of possible publication” and comes with a $2000 prize from Hachette.
The two writers will be chosen each year by a rotating panel of Hachette and Sweatshop representatives, from a shortlisted pool of writers compiled by Sweatshop from the organisation’s collective of 100+ writers. Hachette said the scholarship is open to any writer who is part of Sweatshop, and that First Nations and diverse writers are welcome to join Sweatshop at any time.
Sweatshop founding director Michael Mohammed Ahmad – who, like Sweatshop general manager Winnie Dunn, has been published by Hachette – said of the publisher: “Hachette has always played a pivotal role in shaping our national literary canon, and fostering a robust culture of reading and writing. Particularly noteworthy is Hachette’s uncompromising commitment to developing merit-based literature which centres and celebrates authors from First Nations and culturally diverse backgrounds.”
On the basis of his own experience with Hachette, Ahmad attested to the publisher’s “cultural sensitivity, editorial expertise and quality outcomes […] Building upon Hachette’s impressive track-record with trailblazing wordsmiths such as Maxine Beneba Clarke, Claire G Coleman, Peter Polites and Winnie Dunn, this exciting new mentorship will introduce Australian readers to our immensely talented pool of Sweatshop storytellers, and will pave the way for the next generation of diverse Australian writers.”
Hachette Australia CEO Louise Stark said the publisher had “long admired the impactful work of Sweatshop”, saying it had “created a supportive hothouse for amazing writing talent and changed publishing in Australia”.
“Hachette has been so proud to publish the critically acclaimed works of Dr Michael Mohammed Ahmad and Winnie Dunn”, said Stark. “Through our new partnership with Sweatshop, we are looking forward to supporting the next generation of great Australian writing, with a view to publishing amazing stories to Australian readers.”
The two winning scholarship recipients will be announced in April.
Category: Local news
