Published 1 March 201826 March 2018 · Prizes / Announcement Final results of the 2017 Neilma Sidney Short Prize Editorial team Overland is pleased to announce the winning entries in this year’s Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize, which awards a first place of $4000 and two runner-up prizes of $500. The judges of this year’s prize – Jennifer Mills, Ryan O’Neill and Nic Low – note that they were: pleased to see a broad range of entries, diverse in form and voice, and creative in their approach to the theme of travel. We noticed that some writers struggled to think beyond cliché, and others struggled to balance experimentation with engaging the reader. In general, though, the quality of entries was very high, and we enjoyed seeing some humour and formal experimentation in the mix. The winning story and judges’ notes will be published in Overland’s first 2018 edition (available late March), with the two runners-up published as part of the edition online. Congratulations to this year’s winners and shortlist, and to all those writers who took the plunge and submitted. First place ‘Unspooling’ – Laura Elvery Overwhelmed by a pair of tragedies, a woman contemplates a new destination. Laura Elvery is a writer from Brisbane. Her debut short story collection, Trick of the Light, out through UQP, was released just this week! Runner-up ‘Hot days’ – Joey Bui In the middle of an overbearing Vietnamese summer, a poor, simple waitress in the country attracts the attention of a gentleman who brings her to the city for guitar lessons. Joey Bui is a Vietnamese Australian author. She graduated from NYU Abu Dhabi in 2016, where she completed her first collection of short stories. Joey has been published in literary magazines in the US and Australia, and competes in poetry slams in New York. Runner-up ‘Psychosexual thriller’ – Ursula Robinson-Shaw A series of episodes about an ill-conceived trip to Mexico, which examine the sexual politics of looking and being looked at. Ursula Robinson-Shaw is a writer from Wellington, New Zealand, currently living in Melbourne. Her work has appeared in Cordite and Minarets Journal, and she was shortlisted for the 2017 Lord Mayor’s Creative Writing Awards. Lead image: ‘green plant red brick wall’ / HK Tang The Neilma Sidney Prize is supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation Editorial team More by Editorial team › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays 18 October 202418 October 2024 · Prizes Announcing the Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers 2024 shortlist Editorial Team Sponsored by Trinity College at the University of Melbourne and supporters, the Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers, established in 2014 and now in its ninth year, recognises the talent of young Indigenous writers across Australia. First prize includes $5000, an optional writing residency at Trinity College, and publication of the successful piece in […] 16 February 202419 February 2024 · Announcement Statement of the Board of Overland Literary Journal Editorial team We, the Board of Overland literary journal, make the following statement in support of Editors-in-chief Evelyn Araluen and Jonathan Dunk and the entire Overland staff. We are a diverse Board made up of writers, unionists, lawyers, academics, activists, and arts industry workers. Our Board includes First Nations peoples as well as members of Australia’s Jewish community.
