2025 MIRROR Mentorship recipients announced

Think+DO Tank Foundation and Scribble Books have announced the winners of the 2025 MIRROR Mentorship program for emerging bilingual writers and illustrators in children’s literature.

The winners are:

• Leila Frijat
• Lia ‘Lima’ Maula
• Huaning Wu.

Frijat is an Arab Australian multi-disciplinary artist working across installations, design and illustration. She has been commissioned by Blacktown City Council, WOTSO Coworkingspaces, and Westpoint Shopping Centre to create several public art works involving community consultation. Mentorship organisers said, ‘the judges found her art showcased a bold and intriguing style in a range of forms’.

Maula is an Indonesian Muslim freelance illustrator with a degree in architecture. Mentorship organisers said: ‘She creates compelling artwork that is evocative and nostalgic using a mixture of traditional and digital media techniques. Her work is lush and warm, with a distinct point of view.’

Wu is a Chinese author-illustrator who recently moved to Melbourne. Mentorship organisers said: ‘Wu’s distinctive visual language feels both contemporary and timelessly elegant; her expressive style and fresh perspective promises to flourish through this exciting mentorship journey.’

Frijat, Maula and Wu receive a year-long mentorship—with author-illustrators Zeno Sworder, Sher Rill Ng and Freda Chiu respectively—and a $4000 stipend, alongside publishing masterclasses and networking opportunities.

Established in 2022, the mentorship program is designed to connect industry professionals with emerging writers, illustrators and literary translators who come from historically marginalised communities and who are developing literary work for children and young people for publication in English and in languages other than English (bilingual works). The inaugural recipients were Afsaneh Khoramshahi, Audrey Villafaña and You Mu Amy Ge.

Think+DO Tank Foundation said of these inaugural recipients’ progress during the mentorship year: ‘These extraordinary young women produced singular leporellos and went on to secure agent representation as well as publishing opportunities.’

Category: Awards Local news