Winners Announced: 2026 Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards

The Whitsundays Writers Festival has announced the winners of the 2026 Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards, with writers from across Australia recognised across Open Age, Under 18 and Poetry categories at a ceremony today at the Whitsunday Marine Club.

Now in its third year, the Awards drew 94 short story entries and 74 poetry entries nationally. Each category winner receives $1,000, with $500 to the runner-up: prize money that puts the Heart Awards among the more generously funded literary prizes on offer to Australian writers this year.

All entries were judged anonymously on the strength of the writing alone, against consistent criteria covering structure, technical craft, originality and voice, and emotional or intellectual impact.

2026 Short Story Prize

From 94 entries, 20 stories were longlisted and eight reached the final judging stage.

Winner
Attention Dr West, Kat Ryan (WA)

Told through emails and notes from a patient to his new psychiatrist, judges called it “imaginative” and “well-constructed,” praising its creative structure and its handling of a difficult subject with humour and depth.

Runner-up
A Change of Environment, Janet Humphreys (Mackay, Qld)

A Mackay U3A writer who returned to fiction in 2025 after 30 years away, Humphries’ story follows a widow reflecting on a life shaped by the land around her. Judges praised its “very powerful” final paragraph.

Under 18 Winner
Where Dogs Lie Before They Sleep, Mila Kronk (Rockhampton, Qld)

Year 11 student Mila Kronk, runner-up in the inaugural 2024 Awards. Mila took the 2026 title with a story narrated by a shelter dog, built around an adopt-don’t-shop message. Judges called it “thoughtful and impacting.”

Under 18 Runner-up
Blade of Grass, Elizabeth Olejnik (Brisbane, Qld)

A University of Queensland Psychology and English student, Olejnik’s story follows a young woman grieving her twin sister while facing her own diagnosis. Judges described it as “captivating and emotionally pulling.”

2026 Poetry Prize

From 74 entries, 28 poems were longlisted before a final ten went forward.

Winner
Caught You Red-Handed, Himara Jayasundara (SA)

Himara, 22, explores diaspora, identity and the female experience in her work. Judges called the winning poem “thought provoking, challenging, and emotional.”

Runner-up
Subsea, Andrea Louise Thomas (Vic)

A Canadian/Australian writer based on the Mornington Peninsula, Thomas’ poem builds to what judges described as a “moving heart grabbing read,” praising its original arrangement and unexpected ending.

A national field, a regional home

“We wanted to create a literary prize program that gave writers an opportunity to have their work judged on its merits, regardless of where they lived or whether they were already established,” said Festival Director Richard Evans. “The response from writers around Australia has been fantastic, and the quality of entries made every stage of judging difficult. The winners and runners-up should be very proud.”

Heart Awards return in 2027

The Literary Heart Awards will return in 2027 as part of an expanded, three-day Whitsundays Writers Festival. Categories, entry dates, eligibility and prizes for 2027 will be announced in the coming months.

“We’ve demonstrated that a regional festival can attract writers from right across Australia, and we want to keep growing that opportunity,” said Richard Evans, President, Whitsundays Writers Festival.