Fearless Prize 2026
We would like to congratulate the winner of the inaugural Fearless Prize 2026 and shortlisted writers. The Fearless Prize exists to amplify, in a small but genuine way, underrepresented voices, particularly women and gender diverse people. The winner and shortlist were of an exceptionally high standard, representing the unpublished talent that exists in this country.
Winner
New Growth - Miki Perkins
Shortlist
Detritus - Jillian Britton
The Fright of Real Feathers - Shashini Gamage
Lung - Medea Bhanthumnavin
The Proveniste - Lisa Cortez
Swimming Backwards - Helen Jones
What Brings You Here - Siobhan Kavanagh
Why We Cry - Deborah Wardle
Wreck - Anne Myers
The winner receives a $10,000 advance and publication with
Fearless Press in early 2027.
Emily Bitto
Emily Bitto is an award-winning writer of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, and a former Stella Prize winner. Her debut novel, The Strays, won the Stella Prize (2015) after being shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. Her second novel, Wild Abandon, won the Margaret and Colin Roderick Award and was shortlisted for the ALS Gold Medal and the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year. Emily’s work has appeared in HEAT, Meanjin, Island, The Age, and The Saturday Paper. She has taught and mentored emerging writers for over a decade and is a tutor at the Faber Writing Academy.
Ginny Grant
Ginny Grant is a published author and the founder and publisher of Bakers Lane Books. After more than two decades in trade publishing, she launched Bakers Lane in 2025 to champion bold, inclusive storytelling and to support under-represented Australian voices. Through Bakers Lane’s feminist imprint, Fearless Press, she is committed to addressing inequity in the literary world and creating opportunities for women and gender-diverse writers.
