2026 Fresh Ink Shortlist

Two Hunter region residents are among five writers shortlisted for the 2026 Fresh Ink Prize. This is the sixth year Newcastle Writers Festival has offered the prize, which is open to emerging regional NSW writers aged over 18.

This year’s judges were writers Sarah Armstrong and Raeden Richardson. Of the entries, they said ‘It was a pleasure to read the submissions, to think deeply about our own artistic priorities, and to have the privilege of celebrating so many writers.’

The winner will be announced at a special event on 31 October at Watt Space Gallery and will be awarded $5,000 for professional development thanks to the generosity of Newcastle wine label Elephant in the Room, as well as a week-long residency at Varuna. The prize is also supported by Create NSW.

The shortlisted writers are:

Emily Herbert, Tintinhull, Untitled

Emily Herbert is a journalist, writer and presenter with an interest in women, families and rural life. Based near Tamworth, Emily has dedicated her career to amplifying the voices of rural and regional communities and has a deep understanding of the challenges and triumphs of life in the bush. Through her writing and advocacy, Emily continues to champion opportunity, innovation, and the rural renaissance. When not otherwise occupied, she’s chasing her three little kids and menagerie of horses and dogs.

“Living in regional and rural Australia is exquisite on so many levels. It’s wildly beautiful, if brutal. The people are interesting, interested and full of nuance. They’re doers. Community minded. Ready to pitch in. Less about consuming and more about creating – whether it’s businesses, products or fun. My work, Sweetpea explores intergenerational life and the communities that thrive far from big city centres, bursting with colourful characters. In particular, the work focuses on female friendship and the marvels produced by the steel backbones and glittering ingenuity of rural women.”

Judges’ Comments: This is an excerpt from a longer story of three generations of Australian country women: Barney, Merle and Sweetpea. The writer has a compelling voice and deft turn of phrase; the intimacy and authenticity of the details draws the reader into the physical world of these characters and their reflections on the nature of rural life. To echo the writer’s submission, the landscape of this excerpt is ‘a bastion of creativity and craftsmanship and should be celebrated for its entrepreneurial spirit.’ Here, the Australian bush felt deeply inhabited, a place for contemplation, connection and enduring will.

Michelle Cotterill, Cessnock, Dazzler Dogs

Michelle Cotterill is a writer living on Wonnarua Country in the Hunter Valley. Her creative practice spans song, poetry, short fiction, essays and drama. She is involved in local creative communities, including Cessnock Noisy Voices Community Choir, Culture Club Poets Society, and Newcastle Theatre Company.

“Dazzler Dogs is a social satire exploring Australia’s housing crisis and the human cost of economic inequality. Through the experiences of Scott Renton, a middle-aged Gen Xer navigating increasingly precarious living arrangements, the story exposes the absurdities of a society where housing is a commodity over a basic need. Through dark humour, fragmented storytelling and an irreverent narrative voice, the work examines the relationship between financial insecurity, shame, and psychological distress. Dazzler Dogs challenges the narratives that blame individuals for systemic failures, while exploring the resilience, resourcefulness and persistence of hope.”

Judges’ Comments: Dazzler Dogs is a charged, inventive account of one man’s life of desperate housing insecurity and the countless figures left houseless in our major cities. The writing is electric, the scenes are witty and honest, and the singular sensibility of the piece left the judges marvelling. Dazzler Dogs seems to ask the unutterable: What does it mean to be priced-out of existence itself? Where do we go when the locks on our own doors are changed in our sleep? We admired this raw, iridescent entry which pulled no punches in entering the most wretched situations in society.

Sue Fagan, Woonona, Snakes and Ladders

Susie Fagan is an Irish writer, performer and poet based on the South Coast of NSW. She is currently developing a solo show with the Award-Winning Merrigong Theatre based on the work submitted for Fresh Ink, which deals with her upbringing in strict Catholic Ireland and eventual emigration to Australia. A strong supporter of regional and underrepresented voices and the essential role of arts and culture in society, Susie has performed at multiple venues and events around Australia, most recently at the 2026 Sydney Fringe Festival.

“Snakes & Ladders highlights the harshness of growing up in Ireland in the 80s and the daily reality of dealing with trauma amidst the chaos of motherhood and mental illness. It shines a light on the lifelong effects of colonisation and controlling, religious institutions, delving into the author’s own battles with addiction. As harrowing as it is hilarious, Snakes & Ladders compares the author’s personal growth and healing with how Ireland itself has evolved and revolutionised, particularly in relation to religion and women’s rights, whilst reflecting on how emigration can be essential for those seeking freedom, security and belonging.”

Judges’ Comments: Snakes and Ladders is a personal account of growing up in Ireland in the 80s when the country was dominated by the Catholic Church and rife with political problems. This excerpt – an account of the messiness and complexity of family life – has a wonderful vitality and rawness. The judges particularly enjoyed the distinctive, intimate voice of the narrator and the humour in both her broad observations and in the smallest interactions with family. The judges found themselves laughing out loud at moments of black comedy, feeling themselves in the hands of a bold and gifted writer.

Lorena Dionigi, Port Macquarie, Untitled

Lorena is an emerging writer, visual artist, and third year Bachelor of Arts student at the University of Newcastle. Throughout her studies in English and Writing, she has developed a passion for literary fiction and fantasy, as well as learning about philosophy, history, and social sciences. When she isn’t studying, Lorena loves to draw portraits, sculpt, sing, and write music

“Set in a secondary world where stars fall from the sky like rain, my work centres on the life of a young man, Tri, who can move through time. As timelines weave and collide, and Tri becomes entangled with an immortal deity known as Tayarin, a quiet love story runs beneath an exploration of the struggle for violent revolution, the necessity of community, and the manifold mechanisms of imperialist power and oppression.”

Judges’ Comments: This excerpt of a fantasy novel is wonderfully confident and lyrical. It is a love story between Tayarin, god-child, and Tri who was born in the Turflands. The world-building feels fully realised, brilliantly original and tautly complex, and the piece is deftly constructed with tremendous tension and suspense. This is a writer in full control of their material, able to create vivid scenes and complex dynamics, who enchants the reader into a reality completely unlike their own.

Shannon Benton, Dungog, Fragmented

Shannon Benton is an emerging writer whose work explores memory, identity, motherhood and the relationship between people and place. Her short fiction was selected as a Top 50 finalist in the 2024 Best Australian Yarn competition, and she was shortlisted for the 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival Fresh Ink Emerging Writers Prize. Her work has appeared in Mona Magazine, and in 2026 she was awarded an Association for the Study of Australian Literature (ASAL)/Copyright Agency Fellowship. She has also participated in Faber Academy’s Writing a Novel program. Based in Dungog NSW, Shannon is currently working on her debut novel, Fragmented.

“My novel, Fragmented, reimagines the Australian literary fascination with disappearing girls by asking what happens when it is a middle-aged mother who wants to vanish. Set in Victoria’s uncanny Macedon Ranges, the story follows a woman who becomes convinced she may have been Joan Lindsay, author of Picnic at Hanging Rock, in a previous life. Drawing on the traditions of Australian Gothic fiction, the novel explores memory, motherhood, and the unsettling possibilities of reinvention. I’m interested in the stories women inherit, the identities they construct, and what happens when a woman begins to question everything she thought she knew about herself.”

Judges’ Comments: Fragmented is an Australian Gothic novel exploring memory, motherhood and reinvention. In the disorienting grip of menopause, Elise, a writer, is drawn to the landscapes that inspired Joan Lindsay’s Picnic at Hanging Rock. Fragmented turns the mythology of the disappearing girls on its head. It brings a wry perspective to our timeless desire to venerate classic literature. The judges felt drawn into this polished, compelling exploration of a woman searching for herself in the life of another. They admired the ambition to join lives dissected by history and society, a vision that will no doubt elevate the entire novel.

Join us for the announcement of the 2026 Fresh Ink Prize winner on 31 October at Watt Space Gallery. Each of our five shortlisted writers will read an extract from their work before the winner is announced. This is a free event, but registration is essential.