The 2020 Furphy Literary Award winners

 

 

Melbourne-based writer Ruby Todd has won the 2020 Furphy Literary Award for her short story entry, “Awakening”. The piece describing the tumultuous events in a woman’s life, brought to a head by the HMAS Melbourne – Voyager disaster, takes out the richest competition for Australian short stories.

 

Gippsland-based author Ya Reeves and Castlemaine-based Cate Kennedy were highly commended for their pieces, which are available to read alongside all other finalists’ work on the Furphy Literary Award website. 

 

 

The 2020 Furphy Literary Award Open Category Results

 

Ruby Todd – Awakening (Winner)

Ya Reeves – Pub Raffle (Highly Commended)

Cate Kennedy – Ando Gets Plastered (Highly Commended)

Sue Osborne – King of George Street

Jean Flynn – Straining at the Leash

Mira Robertson – Waiting for the Dog

 

You can check out the official media release from the virtual awards night, which was held last Saturday July 25, below.

 

FURPHY LITERARY AWARD. FINAL RESULTS MEDIA RELEASE 25 JULY final

 

 

About the Furphy Literary Award

 

The Furphy Literary Award is named in honour of Australian writer Joseph Furphy and celebrates Australian story telling. Joseph Furphy was the author of a number of works written under the pen name of Tom Collins – the most famous of which – Such is Life – was published in 1903. Entrants for the open category must reside in Australia or be citizens of Australia. The Open category is for short stories of 5000 words or less for which first prize is $15,000. The theme nominated for the award is “Australian Life”.

 

There are also three junior/Youth categories, which were open to young people from Shepparton and surrounding regions.

 

2020 Youth Story Results

 

1st – Elly Miechel – An Atlantic Night

2nd – Sophie Campisi – A Perfect Coincidence

3rd – Layla O’Callaghan – Prize to Love a Faery

 

2020 Youth Poetry Results

 

1st – Miya Smith – Persimmons

2nd – Ben Shelton – Colours of a Lakeside Life

3rd – Layla O’Callaghan – Prize the Flavours of Demurity

 

2020 Junior Short Story Results

 

1st – Lila Plunkett – Off Track

2nd – Alice Bourchier – Fortune Favours the Bold

3rd – Riley Wooster – Prize the Miner’s Hat