Established in 2007 and supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, the Overland Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize seeks outstanding original short fiction of up to 3000 words themed loosely around the notion of ‘travel’.

This year’s judges, Laura Elvery, Paige Clark and Michael Winkler, selected a shortlist of eight pieces from over 400 entries. They then chose a winning piece from this shortlist, as well as two runners-up. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the judges for their hard work and commitment to the integrity of the blind-judging process.

This year, first place receives $5000 in prize money and two runners-up receive $750 each. Overland will publish the winning story in our Summer 2023 edition. The runners-up stories will be published online.

Overland, the judges and the Malcolm Robertson Foundation are thrilled to announce the final results of the 2022 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize.

Congratulations to the following writers.

First place

CLAIRE AMAN

‘GOLDEN HOUR’

Dawn finally repays her neighbour the two hundred dollars for that time on the Pioneer bus when she sat bolt upright all the way around Australia looking for her son.

Claire Aman lives in Grafton, NSW – Bundjalung Country. Her 2017 short story collection Bird Country was shortlisted for the Steele Rudd and Colin Roderick awards. Her work has appeared in The Big Issue, Australian Book Review, Island, Southerly and other publications. She directs The Long Way Home community writing project.

Runners-up

ZOË MEAGER

‘TOGETHER’

Two siblings are consumed by the sensory world of a family day trip. 

Zoë Meager is from Aotearoa New Zealand. Her work has appeared in Cheap Pop, Granta, Hue and Cry, Landfall, Lost Balloon, Mascara Literary Review, Meniscus, North & South, Overland and Splonk, among others. She’s a volunteer fiction reader for Overland and edits fiction and comics for takahē magazine.

MISO BELL

‘THIRSTY TREES’

Artificial organisms, the migration patterns of seeds, playing ecology like chess: ‘Thirsty Trees’ is a collection of the natural turning alien.

Miso Bell (they/them) is an internationally published writer and stand-up comedian living on unceded Wurundjeri Country. They write for stage, screen and publication – but mostly, for fame and glory.

The Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize is supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation