Announcing Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards Shortlists
The Whitsundays Writers Festival Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards offers $10,000 across four categories to recognise and honour outstanding contributions to the literary and design landscape.
The Heart Awards’ mission is to spotlight the diverse talents within the Australian creative community while also paying homage to the captivating Heart Reef—a natural wonder found in the Whitsundays region.
Festival President Karen Jacobsen expressed enthusiasm for the awards program, “We believe in celebrating the richness of Australian creativity in all its forms. The Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards are a testament to our commitment to recognising and rewarding the extraordinary talents within our community.”
We are delighted to announce the shortlisted submissions for all Heart Award categories.
From the shortlist our winners will emerge and be announced 9am-10am Saturday 7 September 2024 at the Whitsunday Sailing Club, following a keynote address by the 2023 Miles Franklin Literary Award winner Shankari Chandran.
The Gloria Burley Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript
This award honours the legacy of Gloria Burley who was the driving force in the establishment of the Whitsunday Writers Festival which ran 2010-17. She penned two books titled A Rolling Stone Gathers No Husbands, chronicled many of her travels, with Gloria visiting more than 100 different countries during her life, and Blood & Guts that sums up her exploits as a nurse in regional Australia. Gloria passed away from cancer in 2018.
Our award for Best Unpublished Manuscript offers $2,500 for first prize and $1,000 for the runner up for the best original and unpublished creative fiction works. The award sought submissions from around Australia of 12,000 words of completed manuscripts.
The shortlist is:
Compass: Losing Him, Jessica Ellen Pryor (NSW) drama/romance.
Condemnation to Beasts, Noah Bennett (Vic), crime/thriller, romance.
Constant Companions, Tara East (Qld), drama.
The Christmas Cult, Catherine Owen (NSW), comedy-drama.
The Gloria Burley Award is being generously supported by Ivan Lizarralde in honour of her memory.
Best Short Story
Best Short Story has two divisions: adult and under 18. In both divisions, first prize will receive $1,000 and $500 for the runner up. The awards sought submissions from around Australia of up to 3,000 words of unpublished creative fiction stories.
The Adult Division shortlist:
In the Gardens, Gregory Vickas (NSW)
Out, Out Brief Candle, Himara Jayasundara (SA)
Resurrection, Sue Osborn (Qld)
The Cliff, Rick Brown (Qld)
The Miracle Tree, James Manning (Qld)
The Under 18 Divisions shortlist:
Framed, Myka Kelly (Qld)
The Dirty Dealer, Riley Cousen (Qld)
My Mother’s Betrayal, Mila Kronk (Qld)
Unspoken Words, Alessa Penglase-Fortunato (Qld)
The Under 18 Best Short Story Award is proudly supported by James Cook University’s Roderick Centre for Australian Literature and Creative Writing. The Centre fosters the reading and writing of Australian literature and encourages the study of Australian literature and literary cultures.
Poetry Prize
Offering first prize of $1,000 and $500 for the runner up, the award sought submissions from around Australia of up to 50-lines of unpublished poems.
The shortlist
Pirates of the Andaman, Paris Rosemont (NSW)
Senseless, Hellier Mason (Qld)
Theatre Conjectures, David Atkinson (NSW)
Verandah, David Atkinson (NSW)
The shortlist will be read at the Festival’s special ‘karaoke style’ event on Friday 6 September where other poetry enthusiasts can step up to the mic and share their verses in an intimate and supportive atmosphere.
Best Published Book Cover Design
First prize of $1,500 and $500 for the runner up for original design works for books published in Australia between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024 and offered for sale to the public. Book covers in any genre were eligible, as were printed books, ebooks and audio book cover designs.
The shortlist:
A Leaf Called Greaf, illustrator Kelly Canby.
I am the Mau, designer Rebecca Mills.
Mums and Mogs, author and illustrator Mick Elliot.
Those Girls, designer Walker Books.
Our judging panel comprised of ten people – a mix of published authors, literary academics, an independent publisher, a literary reviewer, and avid readers. They diligently reviewed blind submissions (all author information removed) against clear selection criteria. The Festival Committee is deeply grateful for their commitment and enthusiasm for the Heart Awards.