Here are our 2021 Winners. Read the Judges Report 2021. The winning stories will shortly be available as an ebook on Amazon for Kindle – Ooops
Alan Spink. First Place for “Oooh Black Stretch T shirt“
Alan receives $1,500
Raised in an alternative lifestyle which continued on into my adulthood. I’ve been involved with the social justice movement and love a party. I’ve written for most of my life one and off. I love reading and the art of storytelling. I’m passionate, inspired and in awe of the stories, music, and art from the fringe of society, especially our queer community.
Kate Pozzobon. Second Place for “You“
Kate receives $500
Kate is a writer, mother (of the human and animal variety), and wife from regional Victoria. She reads as many books as she can get her hands on and loves to write in a variety of genres, especially young adult, and horror.
Elisa Hall. Third Place for “Wrecked” & The Admin Prize for “Indigo“
Elisa receives $300 for third place & $100 for the Admin Prize
Elisa Hall has been writing for about five years, after having a late start. She joined a writing group and hasn’t looked back. She is also a painter, and a painting and drawing teacher. She really enjoys using words to create pictures and emotional responses. She also loves being an active participant in the queer community.
Elisa has been published in the Hope Shines anthology and the Grieve anthology 2019 and has also been a finalist in the Outstanding Prize for the last three years.
She lives in Bellingen with her 12-year-old son, two whippets and a cat.
Eva Svanberg. Highly Commended for “Love Song“
Eva receives $100
Eva is from regional Western Australia. She studied law because many of her favourite comedians and writers had law degrees, discovered she was passionate about being a defense lawyer, and only recently started getting back into comedy and writing in her spare time. She has too many books, musical instruments and craft supplies.
Harry Smith. Highly Commended for “Dear Dez“
Harry receives $100
I am a 74-year-old retired psychologist. I enjoy retirement. However, I was missing something. I missed the most interesting, heartfelt, and sometimes heart-breaking stories my clients told me and the professional contact I had with them.
Searching for a substitute, I heard about The Sacred Heart Biography Service based at St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst. I became a volunteer there in 2017. I wanted to give my best to my palliative care clients. I completed writing courses to improve my writing skills. I am passionate about this work and have the luxury of being supported by caring people, the coordinators and my fellow volunteers.
The advice I received from my writing teachers was to write daily. Writing became an addiction—luckily a socially acceptable one. My skills improved, which was great for my clients, but I also enjoyed writing for pleasure. I am sure this pleasurable activity will be part of my daily routine for the rest of my life.
My partner and I married in 2018 after the legalisation of same-sex marriage. By that stage, we had shared our lives for over 48 years—one hell-of-a-long engagement!
Stephanie Ashton. Highly Commended for “The Awesomeness of being an Ordinary Lesbian“
Stephanie receives $100
Stephanie writes #lesfic short stories and would love to see – and write – more lesbian main characters in best-selling novels. She’s made the most of lockdown life by joining an online writer’s critique group to improve her writing. They’ve recently published two collections of their short stories.
She lives in Melbourne with her partner and their daughter.
Susan McDonald. Highly Commended for “First Time“
Susan receives $100
Susan McDonald loves hearing and reading queer focused stories and the experiences of other LGBTIQ+ people. This is her first attempt at her own story telling. Susan is proud to be a transgender member of the queer community. She lives in the inner west of Sydney and is visualising living more creatively from now on.
Kyla Rajkumar. The Madeline Shaw Youth Prize for “Lucy and the Abandoned Tea“
Kyla receives $250
She is a sixteen year old writer from Sydney, currently completing her IB diploma. In her free time (and also in her not-so-free time) she tends to write poetry and stories on tissues and receipts, and occasionally pieces them together enough to submit to competitions like OutStanding.
Samantha Black. Youth Prize runner up for “Drive“
Samantha receives $100
Samantha is a teacher, storyteller, and lover of libraries. Sunny days find her stretched out in the sun with a good book. Creative writing has become a form of journaling for her, with pieces of feelings and experiences sprawled across notes apps and notebooks.