Begbie wins 2022 Richell Prize

Susannah Begbie has won the 2022 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers for her manuscript ‘When Trees Fall Without Warning’.

Begbie grew up in rural New South Wales on a sheep farm and is now a GP who has worked all over Australia. In 2006, she started a graduate diploma in professional writing at Canberra University.

‘When Trees Fall Without Warning’ is a work of commercial fiction that focuses on the Edwards family: Tom, a farmer, and his four grown-up children who don’t deserve his 10,000-acre property. Dying, Tom changes his will in a final, bitter act, instructing that, to keep their inheritance, his offspring must stay on the farm and build his coffin, together, within five working days of his death. If they don’t, they all get nothing.

‘Begbie displays great skill in creating these wonderful, complex characters within a plot that reveals the best and worst of humanity in an engaging and entertaining way, with greed used as a wickedly clever device to unite (or divide),’ said Hachette in a statement.

Begbie, who said she ‘almost didn’t enter’ the prize this year, stated: ‘I am amazed and honoured to be the recipient of the 2022 Richell Prize. At times, it can feel as though the walls of your study are the only audience your writing will get. The Richell Prize is a gift, firstly, because it gets the writing out of the study and into the world. Over seven hundred manuscripts made it out of the study this year because of the Richell Prize. So much work, so much courage, so much hope. To every writer who submitted their work this year I want to acknowledge that you have already done this incredible thing—keep going! To my fellow longlistees and shortlistees—from the judges’ comments I know your writing is superb, and I look forward to seeing it in print soon.’

Now in its eighth year, the Richell Prize was created in memory of former Hachette CEO Matt Richell, who died in 2014. It provides the winner with $10,000 in prize money and a 12-month mentorship with one of Hachette’s publishers. Hachette will work with the winning writer to develop their manuscript, with first option to consider the finished work and shortlisted entries for publication.

The judging panel for the 2022 prize includes Melanie Barton from Target Australia; Barbara Horgan from Beaufort Street Books; editor and writer Bianca Valentino; Hachette Australia publisher Vanessa Radnidge; and author Hannah Richell.

Last year’s Richell Prize winner was Simone Jordan.

Category: Awards Local news