A shortlist of eight outstanding writers has been chosen from hundreds of entries in the 2025 Emerging Writers’ Awards
Eight emerging writers and their exciting unproduced projects have been shortlisted for the 2025 Emerging Writers’ Awards. Represented on the shortlist are gripping feature films, dramatic and comedic television pilots and a nail-biting short thriller. These eight projects were selected from over five hundred entries across two categories.
The winning writers in both the short form and long form categories will be announced at an industry event in Melbourne in mid-July. Each prize winner will take home $5,000 in script development funding, generously provided by Scripted Ink. as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting the growth of Australian writers and commercially viable projects.
The shortlisted projects will soon be available for producers and executives to explore on AWG’s prestigious Pathways Showcase, where they join a curated collection of screen, stage and audio projects currently available for development, created by Australia’s top writers.
Together with all of our judges, the AWG wishes to sincerely thank all writers who entered these awards. It is a pleasure and a privilege to read your work.
2025 SHORTLIST
SHORT FORM CATEGORY
Homebody by Jess Fisher [Television, Comedy]
After an agoraphobe accidentally kills her estranged sister’s criminal ex-boyfriend, a detective arrives in their small Queensland town to investigate but the sisters must confront their differences in order to keep their deadly secret buried from the cops and a local bikie gang.
Hussk by Senie Priti [Short film, Thriller]
A middle-aged woman’s solitary retreat by the Snowy River becomes a dangerous game of Cat and Mouse when three fishermen invade her campsite, unearthing her survival instincts and buried past as she fights to reclaim her space.
Sugar Soap by Georgia Struckel [Television, Comedy]
A single mother starts working as a “cleaner” for a contract killer. Accidentally.
LONG FORM CATEGORY
Graves’ End by Mads McRae [Television, Drama]
A young woman faced with the death of her father does the one thing she swore she’d never do and brings back the dead with devastating consequences.
Hell’s Gate by Danielle Frost [Feature, Horror]
A convict with a haunted past joins a British expedition to salvage a sunken warship, but as they descend into Hell’s Gate, they uncover a terrifying secret that threatens to consume them.
Hysterical by January Jones [Feature, Thriller]
When Harriet moves to a new development in rural Australia, strange things begin to happen to her body.
Penny Loafers by Melody Chen [Television, Comedy]
Nineteen year-old Penny Wu wakes up in the body of her finance bro older brother, Daniel, the week before his death. As Penny stumbles through Dan’s life and uncovers the dark truth behind his accident, she must also grapple with painful questions about their relationship, her fractured family, and ultimately, what it means to live a life of her choosing.
Tiny Places by Charlie Milne [Feature, Drama]
In small-town South Australia, a complacent man is given the technology to journey into the mind of his wife, where they rekindle their relationship as her dementia worsens.
