Steele Rudd Award for a Short Story Collection

The Terrible Event

David Cohen (Transit Lounge)

Judges' comments: 

The Terrible Event is absurdist, humorous and highly entertaining. Cohen balances the ridiculous and the profound with consummate skill. A biting and disarmingly surreal collection. 

Born For You

Magdalena McGuire (Ultimo Press)

Judges' comments: 

Profound and achingly real, Born For You explores the intricate dynamics of motherhood and family relationships. This beautifully written debut collection conjures the extraordinary in everyday experiences.  

Gunflower

Laura Jean McKay (Scribe Publications)

Judges' comments: 

Poetic, unsettling, and profoundly thought-provoking, Gunflower deftly probes the questions of our time, weaving social, feminist, and environmental themes into its narratives. McKay’s is an accomplished and haunting collection. 

Firelight - winner

John Morrissey (Text Publishing)

Judges' comments:

In deliciously sharp prose, Firelight scrutinises the lingering impacts of colonisation on First Nations people. These vivid, magic-realist stories traverse humour, horror, pathos, and hope. An ambitious and memorable debut collection.   

The Gorgon Flower

John Richards (University of Queensland Press) 

Judges' comments:

The Gorgon Flower is memorable, blending contemporary fiction with gothic themes in a clever, stylistically assured collection. Richards has produced a confident and strikingly imaginative debut.