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2021
Camilla Chaudhary: 'The Enemy, Asyndeton'
Camilla Chaudhary was born in Birmingham, UK, to British and Pakistani parents. After graduating from Cambridge University, she worked briefly as a literary publicist in London before moving into social policy research. She started writing fiction while her children were young and has just completed a second novel, Notes on a Jilting. She currently lives in Sydney with her husband and three children and continues to combine her career in research with writing.
2020
Mykaela Saunders: 'River Story'
Mykaela Saunders was the winner of the 2020 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize for her story ‘River Story’. Mykaela Saunders received $6,000. C.J. Garrow was placed second for his story 'Egg Timer', and Simone Hollander was placed third for her story 'Hieroglyph'. This year the Jolley Prize attracted almost 1,450 entries from 34 different countries. The judges were Gregory Day, Josephine Rowe, and Ellen van Neerven. The three shortlisted stories appear in our August Fiction issue.
2019
Sonja Dechian: 'The Point-Blank Murder'
Sonja Dechian was the winner of the 2019 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize for her story ‘The Point-Blank Murder’. She received $5,000. Raaza Jamshed was placed second for her story 'Miracle Windows', and Morgan Nunan was placed third for his story 'Rubble Boy'. The judges were Maxine Beneba Clarke, John Kinsella and Beejay Silcox. Subscribers can read all three stories in the 2019 Fiction issue.
2018
Madelaine Lucas: 'Ruins'
M
adelaine Lucas was named the winner of the 2018 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize for her story ‘Ruins’. Madelaine Lucas receives $7,000. Sharmini Aphrodite was placed second for her story 'Between the Mountain and the Sea' and Claire Aman placed third for her story 'Vasco'. The judges were Patrick Allington, Michelle Cahill, and Beejay Silcox. Subscribers can read all three shortlisted stories in the August 2018 Fiction issue. The judges also commended three other stories: ‘Joan Mercer’s Fertile Head’ by S.J. Finn, ‘Hardflip’ by Mirandi Riwoe, and ‘Break Character’ by Chloe Wilson.
2017
Eliza Robertson: 'Pheidippides'
Eliza Robertson was named the winner of the 2017 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize for her story ‘Pheidippides’. Author David Malouf announced Eliza Robertson as the overall winner at a ceremony at Potts Point Bookshop, Sydney. She received $7,000 for her story. Dominic Amerena placed second for his story ‘The Leaching Layer’ and Lauren Aimee Curtis came third for her story ‘Butter’. The 2017 Jolley Prize was judged by ABR Deputy Editor Amy Baillieu, and authors Chris Flynn and Ellen van Neerven. Subscribers can read all three shortlisted stories in theAugust 2017 Fiction issue. The judges also commended three stories – ‘Contributory Negligence’ by Stevi-Lee Alver, ‘The Man I Should Have Married’ by Catherine Chidgey, and ‘The Fog Harvester’ by Marie Gethins.
2016
Josephine Rowe: 'Glisk'
Josephine Rowe (Australia) was named the winner of the 2016 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize for her story 'Glisk' at a ceremony during the Melbourne Writers Festival. She received $7,000 for her story which was chosen from a field of nearly 1400 entries from thirty-eight countries. Anthony Lawrence (Australia) placed second for his story 'Ash' and Jonathan Tel (UK) came third for his story 'The Water Calligrapher's Women'. The 2016 Jolley Prize was judged by ABR Deputy Editor Amy Baillieu, and authors Maxine Beneba Clarke and David Whish-Wilson. Subscribers can read all three shortlisted stories in the August 2016 Fiction issue. The judges also commended three stories – ‘Help Me Harden My Heart’ by Dom Amerena, 'Window’ by Cate Kennedy, and ‘Slut Trouble’ by Beejay Silcox.
2015
Rob Magnuson Smith: 'The Elector of Nossnearly'
Rob Magnuson Smith (UK/US) was named the winner of the 2015 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize for his story 'The Elector of Nossnearly' by Steven Carroll at an event at the 2015 Brisbane Writers Festival. He received $5,000 for his story which was chosen from a field of over 1,200 entries sent in from thirty-one different countries. Michelle Cahill placed second for her story 'Borges and I' and Harriet McKnight (Australia) came third for her story 'Crest'. The judges on this occasion were ABR Deputy Editor Amy Baillieu, poet and academic Sarah Holland-Batt and author Paddy O'Reilly. Subscribers can read all three shortlisted stories in the September 2015 Fiction issue.
2014
Jennifer Down: 'Aokigahara'
Jennifer Down was named the winner of the 2014 Jolley Prize by Ian Dickson at an event on Saturday 30 August during the Melbourne Writers Festival. She received a total of $5,000 for her winning short story, ‘Aokigahara’. Faith Oxenbridge (New Zealand) came second with her story 'The Art of Life', winning $2,000, and Cate Kennedy came third with 'Doisneau's Kiss', winning $1,000. The judges on this occasion were author–academics Patrick Allington and Cassandra Atherton and ABR Deputy Editor Amy Baillieu. This was the first year that the Jolley Prize was open to international entrants.
2013
Michelle Michau-Crawford: 'Leaving Elvis'
In October 2013 at a lively ceremony held at Gleebooks, David Malouf named Michelle Michau-Crawford’s ‘Leaving Elvis’ as the overall winner of the 2013 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize. The first prize is worth $5000. The judges – Tony Birch, Maria Takolander, and Terri-ann White – could not split the other two shortlisted stories, Rebekah Clarkson’s ‘The Five Truths of Manhood’ and Kim Mahood’s ‘The Accident’; each author receives $1500.
In 2013, ABR also held a Readers’ Choice Award. Readers were invited to choose their favourite out of the three shortlisted stories. They voted Rebekah Clarkson’s ‘The Five Truths of Manhood’ as their favourite.
2012
Sue Hurley: ‘Patterns in Nature’
Sue Hurley won the 2012 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize for her story ‘Patterns in Nature’. Hurley received $5000 for her winning story, which was drawn from a large field of more than 1300 entries. Jack Cox was placed second with ‘Gorgeous Perambulator’, and Ngiare Elliot third with ‘Tended by Foxes’. They received $2000 and $1000, respectively. ABR and the judges congratulate all three authors for their outstanding contributions. The judges on this occasion were Peter Rose, Gregory Day (a winner of the 2011 Jolley Prize), and Maria Takolander (winner in 2010).
2011
Carrie Tiffany: ‘Before He Left the Family’
Gregory Day: ‘The Neighbour’s Beans’
Carrie Tiffany (‘Before He Left the Family’) and Gregory Day (‘The Neighbour's Beans’) were the joint winners of the 2011 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize. They shared a first prize of $5000. Four stories were shortlisted, and Claire Aman (‘Milk Tray’) and Gaylene Carbis (‘What’s Richard Ford Got to Do With It?’) both received $1000. The judges on this occasion were Tony Birch (author of Blood), Mark Gomes (then-Deputy Editor of ABR), and Terri-ann White (Director of UWA Publishing). All four stories were published in the special Fiction-themed October 2011 issue of ABR.
Four stories were commended in the 2011 Jolley Prize. They were: 'Russell Drysdale's Trousers' by Catherine Moffat, 'Nitrogen' by Meg Mundell, ‘Bad Luck’ by Rose Lane, and 'A Body of Water' by Else Fitzgerald.
2010
Maria Takolander: ‘A Roānkin Philosophy of Poetry’
Maria Takolander won the inaugural Australian Book Review Short Story Competition. She received $2000. The judges – Chris Flynn and Peter Rose (Editor of ABR) – were impressed, and amused, by ‘A Roānkin Philosophy of Poetry’, an artful take on academic intrigue and absurdism. Maria Takolander’s story appeared in the December 2010–January 2011 issue of ABR. Placed second was Cate Kennedy for ‘Sleepers’ ($500 prize).
In 2010, ABR also held a Readers’ Choice Award. Readers were invited to choose their favourite out of the seven stories shortlisted. They voted Josephine Rowe's ‘Suitable for a Lampshade’ as their favourite, which was published in the February 2011 issue. The other shortlisted stories were: 'The Virus - Travel Notes' by David Cohen, 'Angus's Playground' by S.J. Finn, 'Honey' by Erin Gough, and 'The Body' by Joan Phillip.