The Wyndham Writing Awards aim to inspire, encourage and recognise emerging Victorian adult writers.
The shortlisted and winning Wyndham Writing Awards 2025 short story, poetry and flash fiction entries are listed below.
393 entries were received, with an impressive display of the talent from across Victoria and the local Wyndham area. Narrowing the entries down to a shortlist for each category was very difficult and our judge Katherine Kovacic faced a hard task deciding the winners. Congratulations once again to our winners and shortlisted entrants.
Print copies of the 2025 Wyndham Writing Awards Anthology will soon be available to borrow from branches.
Short Stories
Winner
Hasbunallahu
Lachlan Alexander
Local Encouragement Award
What the Olive Tree Saw
Shiraz Idris Mohamed
Shortlisted
Artemis and the Girls Who Light Up Rooms
Jamie Castellas
The Rip
Pi James
Spiked
Andrea Pavleka
In for three
Elizabeth Walkenhorst
Poetry
Winner
Journeys moving, Journeys moving still
L. Beloved
Local Encouragement Award
You Don’t Know You’re Holy Here
Ann S. Manamel
Shortlisted
Lines Across a Sunburnt Land
Rebecca Hodges
Genocide 2025
Janine McGinness
Coat
Richenda Rudman
Wretched Conception
Shreya Tekumalla
Flash Fiction
Winner
Collapse
Andrew Drummond
Local Encouragement Award
Goodbye, Little Love
Erin Barwood
Shortlisted
A Back Lane Encounter
Gayle Beveridge
A Quiet Kind of Chaos
Amy Lane
Down But Not Out
Scott Cash
On A Scale of One to Ten
Chris Thompson
The Wyndham Writing Awards will return in 2027.
Wyndham Writing Awards 2023
The shortlisted and winning Wyndham Writing Awards 2023 short story, poetry and flash fiction entries are listed below.
Just over 430 entries were received, with an impressive display of the talent from across Victoria and the local Wyndham area. Narrowing the entries down to a shortlist for each category was very difficult and our judge Vikki Petraitis faced a hard task deciding the winners. Congratulations once again to our winners and shortlisted entrants.
Print copies of the 2023 Wyndham Writing Awards Anthology will soon be available to borrow from branches.
Short Stories
Winner
In My Head | K. E. Lata
Arts Assist Local Encouragement Award
Illimitable Space | Aelius Ray
Shortlisted Entries
Breathing Room | Hannah Duffus
Red Rattler | Katy Knighton
Transferable Skills | Catherine McElroy
Where Idle Weeds Grow | Natalie A. Vella
Poetry
Winner
Our Father in Heaven | L. Beloved
Arts Assist Local Encouragement Award
A Successful Life | Charity A. Milne
Shortlisted Entries
If Snow Fell | J. E. Rudd
Marked by Opposite Extremes | Laura Moller
Red | Shannon McCarthy
Woman in Her Father’s Coat | Jan Price
Flash Fiction
Winner
Lemon Coloured Envy | Doug Wroe
Arts Assist Local Encouragement Award
The Ocean and Her Revenge | Briana Pruscino
Shortlisted Entries
Hearts | Susan Yardley
Sleep, Perchance to Dream | Pauline Cleary
You Turned Fifty | Scott Hoffman
Word Count | Matthew Mostovac
Wyndham Writing Awards 2021
The shortlisted and winning Wyndham Writing Awards 2021 short story, poetry and flash fiction entries are listed below.
Just over 400 entries were received, with an impressive display of the talent from across Victoria and locally in Wyndham. To narrow the entries down to a shortlist for each category was very difficult and our judge Lee Kofman had a hard task deciding the winners. Congratulations once again to our winners and shortlisted entrants.
Borrow a copy of the anthology
A limited number of print copies are available for purchase. Please email writingawards@wyndham.vic.gov.au for more information.
Short Stories
Winner
Artifact
Lindsay T. Hocking
Arts Assist Local Encouragement Award
Home by 7
Elizabeth Gonzalez
Shortlisted Entries
A Point in Time
M. Elisabeth Bridson
Small Town Ghosts
Melanie Kanicky
Henry’s Interview
Karen Wasson
Poetry
Winner
Common Burn
Paul Whitby
Arts Assist Local Encouragement Award
In Defence of the Wicked Queen
L.A Blake
Shortlisted Entries
Planning the Rosebush Raid
Nathan Curnow
leaving
Dianne Jacono
Agapanthine War
Jarrad Sidus
Flash fiction
Winner
Still Life
E M Greville
Arts Assist Local Encouragement Award
Platform 1
Jessica Grixti Stanley
Shortlisted Entries
The Last Grave
Henry Gasko
What of the Frog?
Corinne MacKenzie
Moogy
Rainie Zenith
Wyndham Writing Awards 2019
The Wyndham Writing Awards 2019 short story, graphic short, poetry and flash fiction winners and shortlists were announced on 7 November 2019, and are now listed below.
Around 260 entries were received, with an impressive display of the talent from across Victoria and locally in Wyndham. To narrow the entries down to a shortlist for each category was very difficult and judges Adam Ford and Jess Parker had a hard task to pick the winners.
Print copies are available to borrow from branches.
You can also download a free digital copy here!
Short Stories
- Chicken Soup by Ully Merkel
- Graffiti by Mary Jones
- Remaining by Elle Parkinson
- Swan Song by Esthee Schonken [Local Encouragement Award]
- The Female Gaze by Anna Kate Blair [Winner]
Graphic Short Stories
- Babysitter by Tegan New [Local Encouragement Award]
- Birds in the Trees by Prativa Tamang [Winner]
- Encounter with Gorgons by Steve Carter
- Midnight Snack by Candice MacAllister
- Moving to Footscray by Sam Elkin
Poetry
- A Little House Waits by Jaroslaw Kotiw
- City Parking by Graeme Foley
- She Will Never Forget by Sameer M. Khan [Local Encouragement Award]
- Strength by C A Clark [Winner]
- You Grew Out of the Wood by Jakob Ryce
Flash fiction
- Breathe by Daniela Esposito [Local Encouragement Award]
- Escape by Belinda Oliver [Winner]
- Five Jacks by Kim Robyn Smith
- Parsley Green by Shira Deutsch
- Waiting to Surface by Maree Purcell