Entries are open for 2026 UQP Mentorship Prize for Under-represented Writers

UQP is proud to announce that entries are open for the 2026 UQP Mentorship Prize for Under-represented Writers.

Now in its second year, this award offers two successful applicants a cash prize of $5000, editorial and writing mentorship opportunities, a residency at UQP’s office in Brisbane and more.

In 2025 Suri Matondkar was one of the inaugural winners of the UQP Mentorship Prize for Under-represented Writers. Selected for her non-fiction work Tongue: Essays on language, identity and being an international student in Australia, Suri has found the mentorship component of the prize to be invaluable.

‘Spending this time with my mentor has helped me in so many ways, from strengthening my manuscript to finding new ways to think about my writing for other projects. It’s the thing that makes this prize so rare and unique – the chance to build these relationships with people you deeply admire and may never have met otherwise. My mentor is generous, kind and encouraging and this relationship with her has truly made this prize a rich and nurturing opportunity,’ says Matondkar.

UQP’s Publishing Director, Ben Ball says:

‘I’m delighted to be involved with this tremendous programme, which continues UQP’s proud history of working with under-represented writers. We’ve been lucky to discover some prodigious talents so far and I can’t wait to see who’s successful in this year’s intake.’

Entries will be open until 11:59pm AEST on Sunday, 2 August, with a shortlist announced in October and the winners announced in November.

For FAQs, more information regarding eligibility and how to apply, please visit www.uqp.com.au … .

For media enquiries, please contact Jean Smith, UQP Marketing & Publicity Manager on jean.smith@uqp.com.au.

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