Carlisle writer Jessica Kennedy had started wondering when it might be time to give up on getting her writing noticed.
That changed when her manuscript was named one of four finalists for the 2026 Hungerford Award, selected from a record 128 entries.
Kennedy’s narrative non-fiction work, ‘The Ridicule and Resurrection of Marija Gimbutas’, puts her in the running for a $15,000 cash prize, a publishing contract with Fremantle Press and a fellowship with the Centre for Stories.
The Hungerford Award is held every two years for unpublished works by debut Western Australian writers.
Kennedy said being shortlisted had given her a boost at a time when she was questioning how long she should continue pursuing writing.
“I’ve started writing seriously only in the last few years, and by now I’ve realised the scale of the challenge,” she said.
“Writing is one thing, but reaching your audience is a whole other thing.
“I’d started having a conversation with myself about when I would know that it no longer made sense to keep trying, like, what deadline I should set for myself.
“So being shortlisted has been the most tremendous boost.”
Kennedy’s manuscript follows her investigation into the life and work of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas.
Gimbutas argued that prehistoric European societies existed before the rise of patriarchal systems and that violence and inequality were not inherent parts of human nature.
Her ideas faced strong criticism from other archaeologists, but Kennedy said more recent developments, including advances in DNA research, had prompted her to revisit Gimbutas’ work.
Kennedy first came across Gimbutas many years ago and said the archaeologist’s ideas stayed with her.
“A more recent conversation jogged my mind, I checked back, and I was super shocked by what I read,” she said.
“I just had to know more.”
Kennedy said she had always wanted to write and had made several attempts at writing a memoir over the years.
Her focus changed more recently, and she has now written three different manuscripts in three years, including the work about Gimbutas, a non-fiction manuscript about current events and a novel set in the future.
She said researching Gimbutas left her frustrated by the way the archaeologist and her work had been treated, but also hopeful about the ideas she encountered.
“I felt pretty furious, for sure. The short shrift her work got, just because her ideas were so unwelcome to the establishment,” Kennedy said.
“But mainly I feel a lot of hope, about humanity and what we actually are capable of.”
The 2026 Hungerford Award attracted 128 manuscripts, the highest number of submissions in its 35-year history and more than 60 per cent above the previous record.
Kennedy is shortlisted alongside Glen Forrest writer David Harris, Mount Lawley writer Michal Stone and Claremont writer Greg Taylor.
The winner will be announced on October 16 at the Walyalup Civic Centre.
