Sweatshop Literacy Movement and NewSouth Publishing have announced the recipients of Fresh Off The Books: The Pasifika Australian Literary Initiative.
Fourteen Pasifika-Australian writers have been awarded year-long scholarships to develop their critical and creative writing portfolios.
The selected writers include Christine Afoa, Daley Rangi, Enoch Mailangi, Ayeesha Ash, Sarah Carroll, Lungol Wekina, Forever Tupou, Amrita Hepi, Taofia Pelesasa, Talia Smith, Chloe Singleton, Sela Ahosivi, Taulogomai Aii and Tahlia Bowen.
Each recipient will receive $1,000 and take part in masterclasses, one-on-one mentoring, and tailored editorial support.
The program is led by Tongan-Australian writer and editor Winnie Dunn, whose debut novel Dirt Poor Islanders was released in February 2024.
The book is the first mainstream novel in Australian publishing history by and about the local Pasifika community.
Ms Dunn said she was honoured to support a new generation of Pasifika storytellers and described the initiative as long overdue.
"Thank you to the amazing artists from all across the country who applied for this important new initiative," she said.
"We discovered a wealth of talent that has lived in the shadows for far too long.
"I'm deeply humbled to be supporting a new generation of Pasifika writers and can't wait to introduce Australian readers to this incredibly diverse and gifted community of authors, poets and essayists."
Over the next 12 months Ms Dunn will work with the 14 recipients to develop a national anthology of Pasifika writing.
The publication will include work by Australian writers of Samoan, Tongan, Fijian, Māori, Rotuman, Torres Strait Islander and other South Pacific heritage.
It will be released by NewSouth Publishing in the second half of 2026.
In addition, ten Highly Commended applicants will contribute shorter works to the anthology.
The initiative is supported by Diversity Arts Australia and funded by Creative Australia, the federal government's principal arts investment and advisory body.
