This year’s joint first place winners, sharing the $4000 first prize, were Ann Jackson for 'The Lady Who Walks' and Aimee-Jane Anderson-O’Connor for 'Femina'.

When I googled ‘what does it mean to be an emerging writer?’ I got a range of responses.

We spoke to Luke Sinclair, one of the coordinators of Sticky Institute, about his advice to newcomers to the Australian zine scene and their EWF 2017 exhibition, 10,000 Staples.

"What I’m most excited for is inhaling the festival energy...that’s the intense, nerdy enthusiasm that permeates a good writers’ fest."

"I suggest nailing down exactly what is you want to say to people at parties when they ask you what you do."

“It’s been hard to wrap my head around all the possibilities”

"As a teenager I was shy trying not to be shy, but in this bizarrely proactive way."

" I was looking for a way to get my feet wet."