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, Bryant Apolonio, Patrick Marlborough, and Melanie Saward, selected a shortlist of eight pieces from over 500 entries. They then chose a story from this shortlist to place first, 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 Prize.

This year, first place receives $5000 in prize money and two runners-up receive $750 each. Overland will publish the winning story in print soon, while the runners-up will be published online.

Overland, the judges and the Malcolm Robertson Foundation are thrilled to announce the final results of the 2025 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize. Congratulations to the following writers!

First place ($5000)

Tom Gurn

‘You sat me 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 Yartapuulti/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.

Runners-up ($750 each)

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. Her work 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. 

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.

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