In Summary
- Greater Shepparton City Council, Furphy Foundation, La Trobe University, and Goulburn Valley Libraries celebrate the Junior and Youth 2024 Furphy Literary Award competition winners.
- Awards were given in Junior Short Story, Junior Poetry (ages 12 and under), Youth Short Story, and Youth Poetry (ages 13 to 17).
- Winning entries and shortlisted works will be published on the Furphy Literary Award website starting Monday 29 July 2024.
- Greater Shepparton Mayor, Cr Shane Sali and Furphy Literary Award Directors commend the creativity and passion of local young writers.
The annual Literary Awards promote and extend the tradition of storytelling, both fiction and narrative non-fiction. Entries were open for the four youth categories of Junior Short Story, Junior Poetry for writers 12 and under, Youth Short Story and Youth Poetry for writers aged 13 to 17.
Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor, Councillor Shane Sali, congratulated everyone who submitted an entry.
"Council is pleased to be able to support this initiative once again. The Furphy Literary Awards provide a fantastic platform for our youth to express themselves and share their stories," he said.
“Congratulations to each of the finalists and winners of the 2024 Awards and thank you for sharing your story. These young writers have poured their hearts and imaginations onto the page, and their voices deserve to be heard. I encourage the community to head to the website and read the stories.”
Furphy Literary Award Director, Sam Furphy, reflected on the power of youth storytelling and the talent in our region.
"We have had so many young writers remind us that stories can inspire, challenge, and bring us together. This year’s awards really showcased that we have some talented youth in Greater Shepparton and surrounds and we hope these awards support them to continue their passion for writing,” he said.
The winning entries from each category will be available to read on the Furphy Literary Award website during the week commencing Monday 29 July 2024. The Shortlist for each category will also be listed. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd placegetters are listed below.
Furphy Literary Award Director, Adam Furphy, encouraged locals to head to the website and read the works of each of the finalists.
“There were some extremely talented pieces of work produced this year and we are thrilled to now be able to publish the writing of each of the finalists on our website. We congratulate everyone who entered this year and submitted a piece of their own unique storytelling,” he said.
For more information visit furphystory.com.au
About the Furphy Literary Award
The Furphy Literary Award is named in honour of Australian writer Joseph Furphy and celebrates Australian storytelling. Joseph Furphy was the author of a number of works written under the pen name of Tom Collins, the most famous of which ‘Such is Life’ was published in 1903.
There are four Junior/Youth categories, which were open to young people from Greater Shepparton and surrounding regions.
2024 Furphy Literary Award winners – Junior Poetry
| Place | Author | Title |
|---|---|---|
| First | Milo Rose | Energetic! |
| Second | Milo Rose | For Future's Sake |
| Second | Errol Rose | My Bruised Legs |
| Third | Errol Rose | Worn out boots |
2024 Furphy Literary Award winners – Junior Short Story
| Place | Author | Title |
|---|---|---|
| First | Jane Pearce | The Dragon Apprentice |
| Second | Malavika Shibu | A Lady's Treasure |
| Third | Sean Kelly | Outsiders |
2024 Furphy Literary Award winners – Youth Poetry
| Place | Author | Title |
|---|---|---|
| First | Hannah Bhullar | Odyssey to the land of Wonder |
| Second | Ali Alkundi | Hometown |
| Third | Cedric Pang | Soul's Eclipse |
2024 Furphy Literary Award winners – Youth Short Story
| Place | Author | Title |
|---|---|---|
| First | Tori Pettie | Stella |
| Second | Ayra Fatima | Music to My Ears |
| Third | Felix Jensen | Heard Below |
