The ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize is one of Australia’s leading prizes for an original short story, with a total prize value of $12,500. It honours the work of the great Australian writer Elizabeth Jolley (1923–2007). This year’s judges are Julie Janson, John Kinsella, and Maria Takolander.
ABR is delighted to announce the longlist:
Lachlan Alexander (Vic) | A Good Clean Death
Lorraine Carmody (New Zealand) | Alone
Catherine Chidgey (New Zealand) | Inflatable World
Sarah Day (Tas) | The Plain
Rachael Guy (Vic) | Limerence
Sharmila Jayasinghe (NSW) | List Before Sertraline
Anthony Lawrence (QL) | Live Feed
Holly Pekowsky (USA) | Work On Your Personality
Spencer Scholz (SA) | Pterosaur
Tara Sharman (Vic) | Shelling
Tracey Slaughter (New Zealand) | Sediment
Of the field, the judges commented:
‘The 2025 Jolley Prize longlist was one of the strongest any of us have encountered in a short story prize. There was a marked inclination to narrative innovation. Childhood was an ever-present concern and motif, and familial situations were scrutinised, valorised, and forensically picked apart. The traumas of dealing with the mental health system/s and tensions between isolation and social immersion were other constant themes.’
ABR looks forwad to announcing the winning, second- and third-placed stories in the August issue of ABR.
More information about ABR, the longlisted authors, and the ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize can be found on the ABR website.
Click here to purchase a copy of ABR or subscribe to the magazine.
