From thousands of entries, judges, Alice Pung and Christos Tsiolkas, have chosen 30 stories to be included in this year’s anthology. The title of the collection refers to both emerging writers and the desired theme: writers were invited to pen a non-fiction memoir with ‘emergence’ as their starting point.

The winning entry, ‘The usual’, by Tessa Piper is a disturbingly raw commentary on young girls and the male gaze. This story sits above the others as a deserving winner. In the foreword the judges remark on this piece and single out four others for commendation. My concern is that those other four then run consecutively after the winner … what then of the other published entries? Are they merely gap-fillers? The foreword (unwittingly) gives the impression that the entries have been published in descending order of merit. Pity the sixth … and the 30th.

Let’s assume then that the first five entries are good (they are) and give the remaining 25 a chance to shine. ‘Mah jong instructions for life’ plays with structure, using rules and strategy of the tile and dice game to mirror Vanessa Yenson’s health battle. Similarly, ‘Unplugged’ has an unusual form, as Hannah McPierzie deals with deafness, with silence rendered by blank space on the page.

Fittingly, the Emergence stories emerge from diverse backgrounds. Many of the stories deal with childhood, sexuality and relationships with parents and/or the wider/whiter community. There’s trauma and survival and, above all, there’s undeniable talent in all the entries.

Reviewed by Bob Moore

SBS Emerging Writers’ Competition

Now in its third year, the anthology features stories by thirty emerging writers, each speaking to the theme of ‘Emergence’ and each offering a unique snapshot of contemporary Australia. Judged by Alice Pung and Christos Tsiolkas, the stories explore themes such as sense of place, family, loss, culture, sexual awakening and the abiding connections to people and place that make us who we are. Told with utterly fresh perspectives and a rich vein of literary talent, these stories are an invitation into the unique worlds of everyday Australians.

Hardie Grant and SBS champion the voices of a diverse Australia, and support the discovery and development of emerging talent to contribute to Australian storytelling.