Between February 1 and April 30, 640 entries were submitted to the Furphy Literary Award. After a vigorous judging process, the winners were announced at the cracking presentation night in Shepparton in late July.
Well, The Furphy Antholgy 2024, is ready for launch. We’d love to see you there. (All Nations Hotel in Richmond. 6pm on Thursday Nov 21 mail
Here are the winners and some of the short-listed writers, flanked by Sam and Adam Furphy.
Sam Furphy, Christine Fontana, Amy St Lawrence, Karyn Lomer, Jane Downing, Paulette Gittins, Mien Hien, and AdamFurphy.
TASMANIAN NOVELIST AND POET KATHRYN LOMER
WINS 2024 FURPHY LITERARY AWARD
Shortlisted writers, judges, special guests and members of the Furphy family gathered at Shepparton Art Museum in Shepparton, Victoria, on Saturday night (27 July) to find out the winner of the 2024 Furphy Literary Award (FLA), one of the richest short story competitions in Australia.
It was a bumper year for entries, with over 640 stories received and evaluated. The longlist of 78 was of an impressively high standard and there was plenty of spirited discussion among the judging panel – Anson Cameron, John Harms, Margaret Hickey, Stephanie Holt, John Kerr and Thornton McCamish – about the shortlist and eventual winner and runners up.
Sam Furphy, Furphy Literary Award Director, said “We’re delighted to learn that we’re receiving stories from writers who never miss a year as well as from those who’ve just discovered The Furphy Literary Award and are entering for the first time. We recognise the quality of the writing and congratulate everyone who threw their hat in the ring.”
Reporting on the judging process, John Harms said “The writing was of such consistent quality across the board this year that judges took longer to settle on the final sixteen stories. Like all good literature, many of the stories made us feel a variety of strong emotions. We were jolted and jarred, angered, repulsed and quite often, warmed. It was during extended discussions that the strongest contenders emerged and, eventually, we agreed on the top three. It was not surprising then to learn, when the authors were revealed, that many on the short list are highly credentialed and experienced, with significant publishing records.”
Kathryn Lomer, an award-winning poet, YA author, and novelist from Hobart, was announced the winner of the 2024 Furphy Literary Award, for her story ‘Nothing About Kissing’. She was presented with a cheque for $15,000 by Furphy Literary Award Directors Sam and Adam Furphy. The winning story will be published in The Furphy Anthology 2024 (out in November), along with the other 15 shortlisted stories. Kathryn Lomer joins Jen Rewell, Cate Kennedy, Thomas Alan and Ruby Todd as winners of the Furphy Literary Award (FLA) since it was expanded to a national competition in 2020.
“The winning story unfolds as layers of assured, erudite but often plainspoken reflection. Into these, the writer drops several crucial moments with such startling aplomb you want to stand and applaud. Different readers will respond to different elements: unvarnished insights into the provocations of the contemporary art scene; the entanglements of sex and sensuality, mind and body; the invisibility of work; or as one judge described it, ‘a meet-cute story for grown-ups’.” Stephanie Holt, FLA Judge
2024 Furphy Literary Award winner Kathryn Lomer has been writing for many years, across the genres of short fiction, fiction, poetry and young adult fiction. She particularly loves the short story form. Lomer has published four books of poetry, three YA novels, a novel and a collection of short stories. Her most recent book is After Life (2023).
Click here to read ‘Nothing About Kissing’, the winning story of the 2024 Furphy Literary Award (online from 28/7)!
Second place ($3,000 plus publication in The Furphy Anthology 2024) was awarded to Jane Downing for ‘Are you there Margaret? It’s me, God’.
“Despite her advanced age, confusion and failing memory, Margaret is an unforgettably vibrant creation, brought vividly to life by the witty light touch and warmth of the author’s prose. In many ways ‘Are you there Margaret? It’s me, God’ is an exemplary short story that manages to transcend an apparently uneventful setting to touch on themes of faith, loneliness, and ageing, as well as the presence of the miraculous in the ordinary.” Thornton McCamish, FLA Judge
And in third place ($2,000 plus publication in The Furphy Anthology 2024) was ‘Should’ve, Could’ve, Would’ve’ by Paulette Gittins. Paulette had another entry make the shortlist, so will also have ‘Herbie and Gerda Bring Cake’ published in this year’s Anthology.
“A multi-layered tale set in a bustling ‘burb, ‘Should’ve, Could’ve, Would’ve’ is a complex story of youth, faith and violence. Gittins skilfully builds a creeping sense of dread which, coupled with the innocence of the chief protagonist, positions the reader as yet another bystander in a familiar world. Brilliant!” Margaret Hickey, FLA Judge
Furphy Literary Award (FLA) Director Adam Furphy added, “It is very pleasing to be celebrating fine Australian writing again this year. The Furphy Anthology 2024 will bring the top 16 entries to the page later this year, which we are really excited about, but for now – congratulations to the winners!”
2024 Furphy Literary Award Winners and Shortlisted Writers:
1st: Kathryn Lomer – ‘Nothing About Kissing’
2nd: Jane Downing – ‘Are you there Margaret? It’s me, God’
3rd: Paulette Gittins – ‘Should’ve, Could’ve, Would’ve’
Click here to see the 2024 Short List and Long List.
Junior and Youth Category Winners
Short stories and poems written by young people in the Goulburn Valley have been judged for this year’s Furphy Literary Award Junior and Youth categories. Junior and Youth winners will be announced on Sunday 28th July at an event at Shepparton Library. Check the FLA website for these results, and read the winning entries from each category.
About the Furphy Literary Award & Furphy Anthology
Named in honour of Australian writer Joseph Furphy, the Furphy Literary Award celebrates Australian story telling in the short story format. Joseph Furphy was the author of a number of works written under the pen name Tom Collins – the most famous of which was Such is Life, published in 1903.
The Open category is for short stories of 5000 words or less, with total prize money of $20,000. Entrants must either reside in Australia or, if overseas, be citizens of Australia. The ongoing theme for the Award is ‘Australian Life in all its Diversity’.
After 28 years as a local competition, in 2020 the Furphy Literary Award was relaunched as a national award. Each year since then the annual Furphy Anthology is published with the top 16 stories of that year’s competition.
The Furphy Anthology 2023, published by Hardie Grant, won the Best Designed Literary Fiction/Poetry Cover at the 2024 APA Book Design Awards.
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