Magabala Books is thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2025 Creative Development Scholarships. Congratulations to Carly Wallace, Jennifer Kemarre Martiniello OAM, Kaitlen Wellington, Loyola Wills, Mariah Sweetman, Ngaire Pigram, Shinade Mourambine and Zakayyah Maclean. 

Magabala’s Creative Development Scholarships support First Nations writers, illustrators and storytellers, nurturing their creative development and establishing pathways towards publication.

All eight First Nations creators will be supported to complete creative development projects throughout 2025. Magabala Scholarship funding provides financial support for equipment, mentoring and upskilling to First Nations creatives.

Congratulations to our 2025 Scholarship recipients:

Carly Wallace

Jennifer Kemarre Martiniello OAM

Jennifer Kemarre Martiniello OAM is an award winning visual artist, poet and writer of Aboriginal (L. Southern Arrernte), Chinese and Anglo-Celtic descent. She founded the ACT Indigenous Writers Group in 1999 and was awarded the Canberra Critics Circle Award 2000 for Literature and an ACT Creative Arts Fellowship for Literature in 2003. She is a former member of the Aboriginal Studies Press Advisory Committee and her poetry, prose and essays have been published in journals and anthologies nationally and internationally, including in the Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature 2009. Her poetry has been translated into Polish, Spanish and Arabic. She has been a judge for both the NSW and Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards, including the David Unaipon Award for Indigenous Literature. Her prizes include the Banjo Paterson Poetry Prize and the Henry Lawson Short Story Prize. Her most recent publications include Glue, lead essay in Shapeshifting, Jeanine Leane and Ellen van Neerven, eds., UQP, 2024. Her poem Being My Grandmothers (After Uluru) was published in Borderless, Saba Vesefi, Melinda Smith, Yvette Holt, eds., Recent Work Press, 2021 and subsequently selected for Best of Australian Poems, Jeanine Leane, Judith Beveridge, eds., Australian Poetry, 2022. Her children’s story Fish and Rainbow is forthcoming with Magabala Books. Jennifer lives and works on the unceded lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, Kamberri/Canberra Australia.

Jennifer will work on her novel "Blossoms of the Mulga", based on the generational stories and experiences of her family’s Lower Southern Arrernte history.

Kaitlen Wellington

Kaitlen Wellington is a Yuin woman and an emerging writer. She has a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Creative Writing and Indigenous Studies. She has had poems published in the Australian Poetry Journal (2019/2020) and Guwayu – For All Times (2020). She was also commissioned by Bundanon Art Museum to create a multimedia installation ‘true reflections' for their opening exhibition ‘From Impulse to Action’ (2022). Kaitlen worked with Yours and Owls, collaborating with a group of artists creating a multi-media installation 'healing truth' for the Lazy Mountain Festival (2023) – it went on to be shown at Yours & Owls Festival (2023), Darwin Poetry Festival and Berry OpenField Art Festival. Additionally, she has experience working as a poet/mentor with Redroom Poetry’s programs Poetry in First Nations Languages (2019) and Barray Barray Whale Song (2024).

Kaitlen will be supported to purchase writing equipment/materials and travel support to attend the Redroom Poetry’s Fellowship 2025 writer's residency.

Loyola Wills

Loyola Jane Wills is a Zenadth Kes woman with blood ties to the Wagadagam Tribe from Mabuiag Island, mother of two and junior Doctor. She has had a love of writing ever since she was a teenager and primarily used it as a form of expressing her emotions.

Loyola will be supported to continue manuscript development of her novel.

Mariah Sweetman

Mariah Sweetman is a proud descendant of the Ugarapul people. She is passionate about First Nations histories and engaging young people with stories. She loves to create with words and paint; often writing poetry and painting in her free time. She is a teacher by trade with Bachelor in Education and Arts, Master of Education, specialising in Indigenous Education.

With the provided creative development on offer she will develop skills and create a body of work at a publishing standard.

Ngaire Pigram

Ngaire is a proud queer Wajarri and Yawuru storyteller from Rubibi who’s been an active creative and performer in the theatre, television, and film industry for over thirty years. With their desire to publish a book that represents the joy and wonder of a child, experiencing a world of rules they’ve yet to conform to.

Ngaire will attend a 5 - week online course and receive further support for creative development to author a children’s picture book based on their experiences living as a boisterous, little dreamer from a small coastal town in 1983.

Shinade Mourambine

Shinade recently studied at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and graduated with a Bachelor of Performing Arts. Shinade is an emerging playwright and filmmaker.

Shinade will be supported for professional development in writing.

Zakayyah Maclean

Zakayyah is a multidisciplinary artist working in contemporary dance, illustration, and design for performance. While their primary practice is movement based, illustration and writing have become integral parts of how they explore and document ideas, especially when working on complex collaborative projects. 

With the support of the scholarship, Zakayyah will develop and publish a creative zine and create a small archival website.

Magabala Creative Development Scholarships are made possible thanks to the generous support of our philanthropic program. For more information or to donate, see Support Us.