Stories about a displaced teen writing letters to connect the lost to their loved ones and a girl who refuses to return to school after being teased for her eye-patch have won the inaugural Spiers Prize.
The children’s literature prize, named after Australian primary school teacher and philanthropist Gail Spiers, was this year awarded to two unpublished manuscripts due to the number of submissions – one for middle primary readers and the other a work of young adult fiction – each awarded the $5000 prize.
Winner of the young adult fiction award The Girl, The Calico and The Soldier by Zahina Maghrabi is the story of Iqra who has been displaced from her home in Casmir and is bound to the promise she made to her grandmother.
“It's an incredible honour to win the Spiers Prize, it still feels surreal in some ways to have my work recognised at this level but I'm so grateful and excited,” Maghrabi said.
Rebeca Green’s story A Girl, a Boy, a Horse and a Zorse, about self-conscious 12-year-old Roo, whose life changes when wishes start to come true, won the middle grade fiction award.
“I'm so grateful to Gail Spiers and UWA Publishing for providing this opportunity and excited that Zorses will have a moment in the spotlight,” Green said.
The judges for this year’s award were Kate Pickard, publishing manager of UWA Publishing; Danielle Binks, literary agent, and middle grade and young adult author; Sally Murphy OAM, children’s author, poet and academic; and Gail Spiers.
The judges said The Girl, The Calico and The Soldier was a thrilling and pacey read, from an eclectic new voice with so much heart and soul on the page.
“A speculative-fiction story that feels so contemporary and relevant today; a tale of conflict, displacement, and resilience – focused on a family torn apart by a foreign occupation, and a young woman at the centre of so much change and upheaval within her own country, and life,” the judges said.
A Girl, a Boy, a Horse and a Zorse was described by the judges as a gentle and important story featuring wonderful discussions around disability and bullying.
“The themes of fairness, equity, community and environmental responsibility are folded in when a zorse trots onto the page – to encompass a wider discussion and embrace of individuality in the face of hardship,” they said.
From next year onwards, the Spiers Prize will alternate categories annually between middle grade (2026) and young adult (2027). Entries for 2026 open in May next year, for more information click here.
Image top: Kate Pickard, Zahina Maghrabi, Rebeca Green and Gail Spiers. Credit: Ezra Alcantra