The Furphy Literary Award, the longest running and most prestigious short story competition in Australia, has announced the 2023 winner and runners up.
The Furphy Literary Award competition is a terrific competition that continues to support and encourage Australian writers, whether starting out or experienced, giving them an outlet and platform including publication, supported by the Furphy family.
Congratulations to this year’s winner Jen Rewell for her uplifting and offbeat love story ‘Away to Me’. Jen was presented with a cheque for $15,000 at an official ceremony held in Shepparton, Victoria.
Along with the cash prize, Jen’s story will anchor the 2023 Furphy Anthology and she will be invited to a residency at La Trobe University to work on her writing.
Click here to read and enjoy her winning story.
It was another fantastic year for the competition with over 600 entries received, with the skilled
Furphy Literary Award director Sam Furphy said, “the quality of the shortlisted and finalist entries was outstanding again this year and just shows what writing talent we have across the country. I would like to congratulate all writers who participated, in particular our winner, placegetters and shortlist who put forward such outstanding works.”
On behalf of the judges, Anson Cameron said this about Jen Rewell’s winning story ‘Away to Me’: “It’s a love story, written with a light touch. It’s funny. The language is clear, and the author has a close knowledge of the rural world that Joseph Furphy would have recognised and enjoyed. It’s populated with rodeo clowns and decorated with CB radios atop kitchen fridges … a woman feeds her lover steamed lemon curd pudding. I salivated freely while reading it.
“But above all the story has a pigheaded refusal to conform to reality. Just when you think it might be headed for a clichéd gloom it ambushes you with fabulism and, perish the thought, happiness.”
2023 Furphy Literary Award winner Jen Rewell grew up in a small beachside town in Western Australia. She studied Media at university and then completed the Broadcasting course at the WA Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). She has worked as a journalist and copywriter.
In 2020 she returned to her early love of creative writing, winning a mentorship in the Emerging Writers Program run by the Fellowship of Australian Writers WA. She lives in Perth and is currently working on her first novel.
Second place ($3,000 plus publication in ‘The Furphy Anthology 2023) was awarded to Eugenie Pusenak for ‘The Drey’.
And in third place ($2,000 plus publication in The Furphy Anthology 2023) was ‘The Lucky Country’ by Natalie Vella. Coincidentally, Natalie was also placed third in last year’s competition.
Furphy Literary Award (FLA) Director Adam Furphy said, “We are always excited to see more great stories coming forward from writers around the country for this Award and can’t wait to share them via the Furphy Anthology 2023 which will be published in November.”
After 28 years as a local competition, in 2020 the Furphy Literary Award was relaunched as a national award. Each year since then the annual Furphy Anthology is published with the top 16 stories of that year’s competition.
The 2023 Furphy Literary Award was announced at a ceremony at Shepparton Art Museum on Saturday 29th 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. Matt Dowling was MC for the evening and special guest speaker was last year’s FLA winner Cate Kennedy.
Featured image : Jen Rewell Furphy Literary Award winner 2023