Faber Writing Academy is delighted to announce the winners of the 2026 FWA Alumni Award, Kate Spenceley and Greg Tantala.

The FWA Alumni Award is a merit award for graduates of our 2023 – 2026 Writing a Novel, Stay the Course, Edit & Submit Your Novel, and Advanced Novel Workshop programs.

The award offers two outstanding submission-ready graduates the opportunity to pitch their novels at an Australian industry day with Faber Writing Academy and a UK industry day with our partners, Faber Academy in the UK. Winners will also have a sample of their work read by an Allen & Unwin publisher.

Kate Spenceley’s novel Murder in the Lakes is a lesbian murder mystery set in 1946.

Faber Writing Academy Manager, Pip Smith, said: ‘Kate Spenceley’s historical crime novel, Murder in the Lakes, is a timely evocation of Europe in the grip of fascism. Written by a former senior civil servant who worked during the Brexit years, we believe Spenceley’s polished manuscript, with its rugged, unique protagonist, would win hearts and minds at the UK Industry Day.’

Greg Tantala’s novel Freakout Freddie is a literary novel set in Canberra. It follows Rob, who returns home and is pulled into a violent incident by Freddie, the friend who shaped and corrupted his teenage years.

Pip Smith said: ‘With Greg Tantala’s Freakout Freddie, I found myself laughing out loud at how quickly the protagonist, a former Canberran returning to the nation’s capital after living a life away, is drawn into the petty crime antics of his foster-dog loving friend. I was still thinking about his characters the day after reading his chapter samples, and that’s what ultimately won Greg his place.’

The FWA Alumni Award is now in its second year. It aims to provide our most exceptional students with opportunities to advance their manuscripts towards publication.

Pip Smith said: ‘This year, we had a record number of Alumni Award entries, all of which were of an excellent standard. We were pleased to see so many of our alumni with polished manuscripts ready to share with the world!

Our final decisions came down to the effect of the opening – we were looking to be drawn into not only the voice of the novel, but also the conundrum and world the novel evoked. What did these novels have to say that was timely, and different? We wish all the entrants all the best with their novels as they begin to submit to agents and publishers, and hope that the process of writing a synopsis, cover letter and polishing first chapters has helped make the step of sending their work out into the world a little less intimidating.’