Supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation and named after the late novelist and poet Neilma Gantner, the Overland Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize seeks moving, powerful and original short fiction of up to 3000 words themed loosely around the notion of ‘travel’. The competition is open to all writers living in Australia and elsewhere, and at any stage in their writing career. This year, first place receives $5000 and publication in Overland, while two runner-up stories will be awarded $750 each and published online, coinciding with the print edition.

Thank you to everyone who entered the prize. The quality of the work we received was very high. We’d also like to recognise the hard work of this year’s fantastic panel of judges: Bryant Apolonio, Patrick Marlborough, and Melanie Saward. They rose to the daunting task of reading, considering and narrowing over 500 entries down to a shortlist of eight outstanding pieces.

Congratulations to the following authors:  

Jonno Revanche

‘Floridafinil’

The more I age the more I think about the complex nature of human companionship that I wasn’t given a rulebook for in an oppressively heterosexual world, one enforces it’s ideas of romance onto you, even if, for you, the same rules do not necessarily apply; much like many other things I’ve written this year, this piece is no different.

Jonno Revanche is a writer originally from Adelaide currently based in “the cross.”

Madeleine Blackwell

‘TWO MEN STANDING IN A FIELD’

‘TWO MEN STANDING IN A FIELD’ is a story about finding a resting place for my brothers’ ashes within the fragile narratives of memory and the rupture of colonial history.

Madeleine Blackwell is a maker of theatre and films and has written compulsively since childhood. She taught for 20 years at UNSW, Uni of Newcastle, UWS and Utrecht University Netherlands. Her feature film DAMAGE was released in 2024 and currently streams in UK and USA.

Tom Gurn

‘You sat down and told me about the day your cat Tipsy was run over by an electric van’

A lackadaisical chat concerning cats, pigeons, urban ecologies, and generalised malaise. 

Tom Gurn is a writer from unceded Kaurna country in Tarndanya/Port Adelaide. His work won the 2025 Deep Creek Fellowship, has been recognised by the MIKI Prize and the KSP Short Fiction Award, and can be found in places like Overland, Island, The Age, and Text, among others.

Allanah Hunt

‘Barka Bloodlines’

‘Barka Bloodlines’ follows four Barkindji cousins as they try to maintain their love and connection over distance and many years, highlighting that no matter where you are, Country and blood will always keep you forever linked.

Dr Allanah Hunt is a queer Kurnu-Barkindji and Malyangapa woman. She is an academic at the University of Queensland, freelance editor and writer. She is interested in Indigenous storytelling, Blak feminism and the justice system. Her first book, ‘Forever & Ever’, a YA novel, has been released by Text Publishing.

Maxi Sam-Morris

‘Smoke’

‘Smoke’ explores inherited displacement and collective memory through the intertwined experiences of two young girls. 

Maxi Sam-Morris is a proud Meriam woman and writer living on Wurundjeri Country. Her work has appeared in Overland and Splinter Journal. She is currently completing a Master of Creative Writing, Editing and Publishing at the University of Melbourne. 

Zoë Meager

‘Hard autumn fruit’

Goldie and Abby can run real fast. You probably can’t keep up.

Zoë Meager is from Aotearoa New Zealand. Herwork has been published widely, including in Granta, Landfall, and Overland. In 2024 she was runner-up in the Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Competition, received an honourable mention in the Zoetrope All-Story Short Fiction Competition, and was a Sargeson Fellow. She won the Bristol Short Story Prize 2025. 

Arden Baker

‘Many Small Violences’

A linguist returns to a familiar city, seeking solace and meaning at the crossroads of language, food and memory.

Arden Baker is a lapsed translator and a writer of speculative fiction. He won the 2024 Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Short Story and was shortlisted for the 2025 Richell Prize. He is the President of Meridian Australis, a Melbourne-based speculative fiction community. A list of his publications is available at anabscenceofgravitas.com.au.

Alan Fyfe

‘Nectarines’

Nectarines is a story about local holidays, delicious fruit, and the pitfalls of the blue-collar gig economy.

Alan Fyfe is a writer who lives on unceded Noongar country. His first poetry collection, ‘G-d, Sleep and Chaos’, was commended in the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award, and won The West Australian Premier’s Prize for Poetry and Book of the Year. His novels, ‘T’ and ‘The Cross Thieves’, are available from Transit Lounge.

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