The Furphy Literary Award 2025 opened today (Feb 1). You can see how to enter below.
I strongly encourage all Almanac writers to consider sending a story in. Give it a go. Entries close on April 30.
Cheers,
JTH
The submission window for the 2024 Furphy Literary Award opened on Feb 1.
To find out more about the Award and how to enter visit The Furphy Literary Award website.
The Furphy Literary Award encourages Australian writers, whether old hands or emerging, everywhere to ‘have a go’ and prepare their short story this year’s competition. The submission period ends on April 30.
The FLA judging panel consists of Anson Cameron, John Harms, Margaret Hickey, Stephanie Holt, John Kerr and Thornton McCamish.
There were over 640 entries in 2024, all responding to the topic Australian life in all its diversity.
The Furphy Literary Award offers the winner a first prize of $15,000, residency at La Trobe University and pride of place in The Furphy Anthology 2025. The Anthology is a gorgeous hardback collection of the top sixteen stories of the year.
The Furphy Literary Award is named in honour of Australian writer Joseph Furphy, who wrote the classic Such is Life in 1903 under the pen name Tom Collins. In WW1 Australian soldiers congregated at the back of Furphy water carts, manufactured by Joseph’s brother John, to trade speculative and wild rumours and stories, which became known as ‘furphies’. Jointly honouring the author of Such is Life, and ‘the furphy’ that was born from water cart tales, the Furphy Literary Award promotes and extends the tradition of storytelling embedded in Australian life.
Sam Furphy, a great, great, grand-nephew of Joseph Furphy and Co-Director of The Furphy Foundation which administers the Award, said, “What we’re noticing is that a community of writers and readers has developed around The Furphy Literary Award, and we’ll do our best to nurture that community. We’re committed to providing opportunities to both emerging writers and established writers and we hope that, as the Anthology is more widely read, keen writers will have a crack. It costs nothing to enter.”
The open competition runs from 1 February – 30 April 2024. Following the judging, a shortlist will be announced on June 30, and a gala winners award ceremony will be held in late July in Shepparton.
For more information, please visit The Furphy Literary Award website.
Theme: Australian life in all its diversity
Maximum Length: 5000 words
Entry Deadline: April 30, 2025
First Prize: $15,000, a La Trobe University Residency and publication in the 2024 Furphy Anthology
Second Prize: $3,000 plus publication in the 2024 Furphy Anthology
Third Prize: $2,000 plus publication in the 2024 Furphy Anthology
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT John Harms – SMS to 0417 635030 or email: [email protected]
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