Acclaimed writer and poet Cate Kennedy has won the 2022 Furphy Literary Award with her entry ‘Art and Life’. As the winner of one of the richest short story writing prizes in Australia, Kennedy was awarded a $15,000 cash prize in addition to a residency at La Trobe University and publication in The Furphy Anthology 2022, which will be published later in the year.
Cate Kennedy had previously published two collections of short stories, one novel and three volumes of poetry. She works as a writing mentor and teacher and lives in Castlemaine, Victoria with her daughter and a huge book collection.
On writing short stories, she says: “Short stories are the form I find myself returning to again and again – learning how to compress and distill my ideas, seeing ways to take the reader on a journey, reflecting on how the form brings out our instinctive storytelling powers to make each other laugh, cry and think.
With over 600 entries received, the highly-credentialled judging panel made up of Anson Cameron, Tara June Winch, Margaret Hickey, John Harms, Thornton McCamish and John Kerr had their work cut out for them. However, unusually, there was little debate about the standout entry for 2022.
Judges said of the winning story, “Cate’s ‘Art and Life’ had us smiling and nodding from the beginning. It’s so funny and insightful, so light of touch. We felt like we knew parents like that, and we knew pressured students like that. And the response of the young classical musician is brilliant. The story is totally engaging and entertaining and invites us to ask ourselves questions.”
Second place ($3,000 plus publication in The Furphy Anthology 2022) was awarded to Lisa Moule for ‘The Game’.
Judges’ comments: “Lisa totally nails the school staffroom and some of the archetypes who make it their habitat. But, equally, her story applies to any organisation where merit should prevail but is subsumed by politics and self-promotion.”
And in third place ($2,000 plus publication in The Furphy Anthology 2022) was ‘Winter is for Regret’ by Natalie Vella.
Judges’ comments: “This story is particularly evocative, but the complexity runs deep. The way Natalie presents the violence as a subtle and remarkably mundane occurrence is done with skill and deftness of prose.”
Furphy Literary Award (FLA) Director Sam Furphy said, “It is such a pleasure to put on this competition and provide this platform for writers to showcase their talents and tell a great story. From all corners of our wonderful country, we are so thrilled to receive so many high quality and diverse entries.”
While Adam Furphy, FLA co-director, commented, “Whilst everyone likely has at least one good story in them, this competition and the accompanying annual Furphy Anthology allows us all the opportunity to enjoy a curated distillation of these stories and the fine writing that brings them to life.”
The 2022 Furphy Literary Award was announced at a ceremony at the Shepparton Art Museum on Saturday 23rd July. Shepparton, in northern Victoria, is the historic home of the Furphy family and the location of the ongoing Furphy manufacturing companies, established in 1864.
Congratulations to the 2022 Furphy Literary Award Winners & Shortlisted Writers
1st: Cate Kennedy ‘Art and Life’
2nd: Lisa Moule ‘The Game’
3rd: Natalie Vella ‘Winter is for Regret’
Shortlisted:
Thomas Alan – ‘All the Way Through’
Daniel Alwan – ‘Sunshine’
Isabella Ballestrin – ‘00:00’
Craig Billingham – ‘Breadcrumbs’
Dean Croxon – ‘Bat on a Wire’
Marian Edmunds – ‘The Flood’
Janet Fuller – ‘Hardly David’
Christine Jackman – ‘A Brush Turkey’s Guide to Life’
Scott Limbrick – ‘Fake Plants’
Deborah May – ‘Protection’
Magdalena McGuire – ‘Pause, remember?’
Sue Osborne – ‘Moon Standing’
Kym Tyzack – ‘Leaving’
About the Furphy Literary Award
The Furphy Literary Award is named in honour of Australian writer Joseph Furphy and celebrates Australian story telling in the short story format. Joseph Furphy was the author of a number of works written under the pen name Tom Collins – the most famous of which was Such is Life, published in 1903.
The Open category is for short stories of 5000 words or less with total prize money of $20,000, entrants must either reside in Australia or, if overseas, be citizens of Australia. The ongoing theme for the Award is ‘Australian Life in all its Diversity’.
After 28 years as a local competition, in 2020 The Furphy Literary Award re-launched as a national award. It has discovered some extraordinary talent and through the publication of the annual Furphy Anthology the best of each year’s entries are recorded for posterity in a gorgeous hardcover book.
There are also four Junior and Youth Short Story and Poetry categories, open to young people from the Goulburn Valley.