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, André Dao and Jennifer Down, selected a shortlist of ten pieces from over 500 entries. They then chose a story from this shortlist to place first, as well as two runners-up and a highly commended. 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 2024 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize. Congratulations to the following writers!

First place ($5000)

Rachel Ang

‘Thalassophobia’

‘Thalassophobia’ is a story I wrote while in transit between different species of spaces and life stages, while thinking about my child, our uncertain future, labour, and care.

Rachel Ang is an artist and writer. Their comics and writing have been published in The New Yorker, Meanjin and Island. Rachel’s new book, a graphic short story collection titled I Ate The Whole World to Find You, is out in April 2025 from Scribe (ANZ) and Drawn and Quarterly (global).

Runners-up ($750 each)

Jo Langdon

‘Off’

A woman and her young daughter approach uneasy friendship dynamics at a children’s birthday party.

Jo Langdon lives and writes on unceded Wadawurrung land. Her publications include two poetry collections, Snowline (Whitmore Press, 2012) and Glass Life (Five Islands Press, 2018), and her honours and awards include fellowships from the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation and the National Library of Australia.

Aneeta Sundararaj

‘Harvard Estate Is’

‘Harvard Estate Is’ is a story about the recruitment of indentured labourers from India to British Malaya and its legacy in modern Malaysia.

Aneeta Sundararaj is an award-winning short story writer. Her latest collection is called Tapestry of the Mind and Other Stories (Penguin Random House SEA, 2024). In 2021, Aneeta completed a doctoral thesis entitled ‘Management of Prosperity Among Artistes in Malaysia’. Find out more at http://aneetasundararaj.com.

Highly commended

Alessandra Panizza

‘A Gimmick’

Is an online love story a hypertext or a subtext?

Alessandra Panizza is interested in science, language, and the internet. She has co-authored papers for biochemistry journals mBio and BBA Biomembranes. She was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature’s V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize 2024. She is an Australian living in London, working on her first novel.

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