The AAWP is launching an exciting new publication pathway and prize for emerging writers: ‘Chapter One’. The winner of this manuscript competition will receive a written appraisal of his or her work from an established literary author and a letter of recommendation to University of Western Australia Press (UWAP) – a ‘tick of approval’ that will effectively place their manuscript on top of the submissions pile for priority assessment. The winner will also receive a $500 cash prize and fully subsidised conference fees for the annual conference of the AAWP in November, 2015, to read from their work. ‘Chapter One’ will open on 30 November 2014 and close on 30 June 2015.

Eligible writers are invited to submit one chapter (or 5,000 words) of prose from a literary novel, short story collection, or a hybrid work that crosses genre boundaries. Alternatively, they may submit up to 500 lines of poetry. If the full manuscript is as robust as ‘Chapter One’ the winner may secure a publishing contract with UWAP (http://uwap.uwa.edu.au). Click here to download full details of ‘Chapter One’ entry. Enquiries and submissions to submissions@aawp.org.au