Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards: Short Story Longlist and Under 18 Shortlist Announced
Chosen from a national field of 94 entries, the Whitsundays Writers Festival has revealed the 20-story longlist for the 2026 Whitsundays Literary Heart Award Short Story Prize, alongside a six-strong Under 18 shortlist showcasing the next generation of storytellers.
Entries came from writers across Australia, spanning crime, romance, speculative fiction, historical fiction, contemporary drama, and humour. Regional Australia featured strongly, with several stories explicitly set in the Whitsundays offering distinctive perspectives on regional life, community, and belonging.
All entries were assessed anonymously, with judges applying a consistent set of criteria: unity of action, structure and shape, causal logic, turning point, character depth, emotional or intellectual effect, economy and precision, originality and voice, theme, and ending quality. The process is designed to recognise different approaches to short fiction rather than favour any particular genre, style, or subject.
“A crime story, a piece of historical fiction and a work of contemporary drama may look very different on the page,” said Festival Director Richard Evans. “What matters is how each writer creates the story they set out to tell. Our judges are looking for compelling storytelling, confident craft and an authentic voice.”
The competition revealed a remarkable breadth of themes, with writers exploring family secrets, grief, identity, displacement, belonging, mental health, class, rural life, artificial intelligence, and moral ambiguity, alongside inventive reworkings of mythology and darkly comic takes on difficult subjects. Judges were also impressed by experimentation with form, including diaries, letters, records, courtroom documents, second-person narration, dual timelines and nonlinear structures.
“The Heart Awards are becoming an important part of what we’re building for the Whitsundays,” Richard said. “They give writers an opportunity to be recognised, but they also bring new stories and new voices into the region. That’s exactly what a regional literary festival should do.”
Open Age Longlist
The 20 longlisted stories now progress to the next stage of judging for the Open Age competition:
A Butterfly, Janeen Samuel (Vic)
A Change of Environment, Janet Humphries (Qld)
Attention Dr West, Kat Ryan (WA)
Before This, Alexandra O’Sullivan (Vic)
Betting on a Good Man, Robyn Knibb (Qld)
Fractured, Venetia Vernon (Qld)
Home, Jessica McLaren (Qld)
It Cures Cancer, Lesley Boland (ACT)
North, Terri Bernasconi (Qld)
Robert and his Visitors, Paul Taylor (Vic)
Sliver Me Timber, Fergal Bannon (Vic)
So Much Music, So Little Sound, Christopher Mitchell (Vic)
The Fall Guy, Dave Wellings (Qld)
The First Wednesday of the Month, Dominika Greinert (Vic)
The Letter, Annette Leigh (Qld)
The Past is Present, Nicole MacAlpine (NSW)
Toy Cars, Bek Martin (Qld)
Within the Belly of the Beast, Bon Henry-Edwards (SA)
Years Go By, Tim Grubisic (NSW)
Yes, Yes, Yes, Matthew Southwell (Vic)
Under 18 Shortlist
Congratulations to the following young writers whose entries have progressed to the Under 18 shortlist:
Aelindril, Lucy Neindorf (Qld)
Blade of Grass, Elizabeth Olejnik (Qld)
Eyeseeing Lizard II, Liam Sander (Qld)
Paths to the Sea, Rachael Lambert (Qld)
Walking Still, Lizzy Zhao (SA)
Where Dogs Lie Before They Sleep, Mila Kronk (Qld)
What happens next
The 20 longlisted stories now progress to the next stage of judging in the Open Age competition, which carries a $1,000 first prize and $500 runner-up prize. Judging will continue through an Open Age shortlist before the overall winner is determined.
Congratulations also go to the six young writers named on the Under 18 shortlist. This division proceeds directly to final judging, with the winner receiving $1,000 and the runner-up $500.
Winners of both divisions will be announced at the 2026 Whitsundays Writers Festival on Sunday 13 September at the Whitsunday Marine Club, Cannonvale.
A full day of Australian writing
The Heart Awards form part of a full day celebrating Australian writing, regional voices and readers. Highlights include the From the Heart keynote from multi-award-winning Townsville author Rachel Armstrong, author panels and also featuring 20 regional writers presenting their work, plus Stories by the Sea, a new free community celebration with artists at work, book swaps, live music, children’s activities and a community BBQ.
Tickets and the full festival program are available now at Whitsundays Writers Festival website.