Junior and Youth Competition
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Registration open:
1st of March 2026 -
Entries close:
April 30, 2026, 11.59PM
- Registration open:1st of March 2026
- Entries close: April 30, 2026, 11.59PM
Celebrating Australian Storytelling
Everyone can write at least one good story.
That was the belief of J. F. Archibald, the editor and founder of the famous nineteenth-century weekly, The Bulletin, who invited his readers to become contributors. It was this encouragement that led Joseph Furphy, working in his brother’s foundry at Shepparton, to write his ‘offensively Australian’ novel, Such is Life, using the pseudonym of ‘Tom Collins’. The book, full of stories derived from Joseph’s experience in the Riverina and told in a voice uniquely his own, is now acknowledged to be a classic of Australian literature
In the spirit of Archibald and honouring the author of Such is Life, the Furphy Literary Award has been established to promote and extend the tradition of story telling, both factual and fictional, that is so much part of Australian life.
There will be an annual short story & poetry award for juniors & youth age writers who live in the Goulburn Valley. Please refer to the table below and the terms & conditions relevant to this category.
*Details of residency to be finalised after completion of awards event.
Entries for the Furphy Literary Award are managed by a software product called Submittable. Please follow the link which will prompt you to:
- Create a free account with Submittable.
- Enter and save submission details
- Upload your work and submit
Junior Short Story
- Age: Up to 12 years old
- Word limit: 2000 words
- Production: Handwritten or typed
- Subject / Theme: Any subject
- 1st Prize: $300
- 2nd Prize: $100
- 3rd Prize: $50
Youth Short Story
- Age: 13 – 17 years old
- Word limit: 2000 words
- Production:Typed
- Subject / Theme: Any subject
- 1st Prize: $300
- 2nd Prize: $100
- 3rd Prize: $50
Junior Poetry
- Age: Up to 12 years old
- Word limit: 20 lines
- Production: Handwritten or typed
- Subject / Theme: Any subject
- 1st Prize: $300
- 2nd Prize: $100
- 3rd Prize: $50
Youth Poetry
- Age: 13 – 17 years old
- Word limit: 30 lines
- Production: Typed
- Subject / Theme: Any subject
- 1st Prize: $300
- 2nd Prize: $100
- 3rd Prize: $50
Meet the Judges
Suellen Drysdale
Junior Short Story
Suellen Drysdale spent a large part of her childhood daydreaming and reading books. As an adult she still loves to daydream but now shares her unruly imagination through writing.
She has published two children’s adventure fantasy novels, The Hybrid and the Lost Tails of Mermirran and its sequel, The Hybrid and the Emeralds of Elisar – both receiving finalist awards in The Next Generation Indie Book awards in the USA.
Suellen also published a children’s picture book, Forgetful Gran’s Muddle Rhymes aimed at both younger and ancient readers.
Residing in the quiet outskirts of Shepparton, Suellen is the President of the Goulburn Valley Writers Group Inc. and has judged the Junior Section of the Joseph Furphy Literary Prize since 2006.
Pauline Roberts
Youth Short Story
Pauline has been an avid reader of “everything & anything” for as long as she can remember. Pauline is also a writer and in 2015 was the Winner of the Kingston Artz Blitz – Creative Writing Prize.
During her career, both as a teacher and a librarian, she has had the delight of being able to share her love and enthusiasm for “getting lost in a book” with several thousand children over the years. No job could be more pleasurable and rewarding than inspiring the next generation of bookworms.
As a judge for the Joseph Furphy Commemorative Literary Prize, she has found it a pleasure to read the incredibly original stories entered in the Youth Section of the Awards over the last few years. The students’ thoughts & aspirations for the future are evident in their writing and discovering these aspirations and dreams is always rewarding. On the other hand, selecting just one winner can be a challenge, but one that she enjoys.
Robyn Black
Youth Poetry
Robyn Black is an Australian poet, memoirist, and short fiction writer. She is the former president of the Goulburn Valley Writers Group Inc., Shepparton, and the Writers Victoria Ambassador for the Goulburn Valley (Vic) region.
A poet and short story writer, she is the twice winner and subsequent judge of the Joseph Furphy Open Poetry prize. Former editor of Tamba magazine she has been short-listed in the 2016 Victoria University Short Story Prize and in several Alan Marshall Short Story Awards.
Robyn has been published in various magazines and anthologies including the Montreal International Poetry Prize (2011) Longlist Anthology.
Her collection of poetry entitled No Straight Lines was published by Ginninderra Press in 2021.
Tru Dowling
Junior Poetry
Tru S. Dowling is a Bendigo mother, poet, performer, freelance writer and editor. She has taught fiction writing, poetry, story-telling and non-fiction at Victoria University, Bendigo Tafe and privately for over 16 years. Pre-occupations include hospitality roles, volunteer counsellor, and singer-songwriter for folk band The Wagtales.
Her poems have been awarded, read or published in Australia, Ireland, the UK and USA. Tru has appeared at various writers’ festivals as emcee, presenter, guest writer and judge, and exhibited her work alongside artists and musicians. Community projects, social justice, nature, the dialogical and relational inspire her writing.
Memoirs of a Consenting Victim (Mark Time Books, 2011) is Tru’s first poetry collection; her latest book is Butcher Baker His-Story Maker (Birdfish Books, 2020), a verse novella meditating on family and place across three generations of life in Castlemaine. She is currently working on a poetry manuscript entitled Canopy.