Tasmanian Writers and Illustrators Mentorship Program 2026 recipients announced
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) has announced the 2026 recipients of the Tasmanian Writers and Illustrators Mentorship Program.
The writers receiving 20-hour mentorships are:
Fiction
- Laura Batham for “Dates With Death”
- Angela O’Brien for “In Tinsel Town”
- Freya Su for “Rice”
- Eva Leppard for “The Rules of Being Cori”
- Rhyll Vallis for “Scaled”
- Honey Dower for “Small Exits”
- Lindsey Little for “The Thug”
- Beth Warren for “Walking With Strangers”.
Nonfiction
- Helen Hayward for “@home: 35 people reflect on home life”.
- David Beniuk for “That Wonderful Year That Sucked”
Young adult
- Patrick March for “Lance Sable”.
- Amanda Mackinnon for “The Professor’s Daughter”
Children’s writing
- Rachael Koch for “All the Tiny Things”.
- Val Bohle for “Five Dog Night”
The artists receiving 10-hour mentorships are:
Illustrated works
- Claire Pendrigh for “Let’s go to the Botanical Gardens”.
- Sally Barns for “That’s Nothing!”
In addition to mentorship from an ASA mentor, all winners receive one year of ASA membership, invitations to ASA events, including Pitch Perfect and Virtual Literary Speed Dating, and a $500 honorarium from Arts Tasmania.
Assessors included Kate Kruimink, Damon Young, Allison Tait and Marc Martin.
ASA CEO Lucy Hayward said: “Our warm congratulations to the 16 mentorship recipients, who will have the opportunity to develop their work alongside the guidance of established mentors and a supportive community of their peers. We’re delighted to be able to continue to nurture Tasmania’s literary talent through this valuable program, which is designed to help creators take the first key steps towards building sustainable creative careers. Our sincere thanks to Arts Tasmania for partnering with us on the Tasmanian Writers and Illustrators Mentorship Program.”
More information is available on the ASA website.
Category: Local news
