Today my manuscript – Flying Hearts – was shortlisted for The Spiers Prize; understatement to say I’m pretty excited! It’s a departure for me, a young adult verse novel, and I’ve been worrying over it since the end of 2023. The bulk of it was written during 2024, but some of the characters, the scenes and the ideas have been with me for years. I remember scribbling ideas on the train back in noughties. I’ve never been able to let go of some of these characters or places, and over the years it’s like the ideas that wouldn’t disappear have found other ideas, other scenes and made themselves into a story. I’ve always wanted this story out there and in the hands of young readers, this shortlisting opens the door just a bit…maybe it’ll make it.
For years I’ve been chasing the flying hearts of my title around Sydney, trying to understand the story they were telling. In the end it was the story of Telly and Jessica, Karr and Ahmad.
The story presents a unique, teen-centric view of the inequities of class, strained familial connections, and the looming threat of toxic masculinity. Issues such as the influence of media, misogyny and the impact of violence are addressed in a way that focuses on the complexity experienced in teen years. These realities contrast with the secret almost otherworldly language of graffiti: the tags and sprayed signs that become the silent voices the teenagers use to understand their city.
The Spiers prize is a national unpublished children’s fiction manuscript prize named after Australian primary school teacher and philanthropist Gail Spiers, run by UWA Publishing…Here’s the official announcement:
“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 award received over 120 submissions and the judges were heartened by the wonderful collection of tender and honest youth literature they received. They noted that there were many incredible voices and leaps of form with authors finding imaginative ways to communicate present day challenges to young audiences through a myriad of genres. Of the shortlists the judges noted the YA entries have strong own voices and creative approaches to issues facing young adults while many of the middle-grade entries explore the natural world and our relationship with the environment. All of the shortlisted entries are of an extremely high calibre and show the breadth of children’s writing talent in Australia.”
Middle Grade Shortlist
The Magpie’s Song by Julia Wakefield (SA)
Mabi by Ola Kwintowski (QLD)
What Sand is Made Of by Pamela Ueckerman (VIC)
A Girl, a Boy, a Horse and a Zorse by Rebeca Green (VIC)
The Lost Boy of Divine by Tracey Sloan (QLD)
Bella’s Rock by Verity Croker (QLD)
Young Adult Shortlist
Bright Flickering Lights by D. J. Blackmore (NSW)
Two Sides and the Truth by Kylie Hannant (SA)
One Arabian Girl by Maha Sidaoui (VIC)
The Lovely Astronaut by Natalia Hawk (QLD)
Flying Hearts by Rico Craig (NSW)
The Girl, The Calico and The Soldier by Zahina Maghrabi (WA)
Congratulations to all the other shortlisted authors, fingers crossed all these books make it out there!
Rico Craig 
Congratulations!
Thanks!