Sam Furphy, winner Serena Moss and Adam Furphy at the 2025 Furphy Literary Award ceremony. Photo credit: Trevor Phillips.
A record number of entries and a packed gallery set the scene for the 2025 Furphy Literary Award at Shepparton Art Museum on Saturday, July 26, as more than 100 guests from across Australia gathered to witness the announcement of the 2025 winners.
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Now in its sixth year as a national competition, the Furphy Literary Award continues to grow in prestige — evident in the 788 entries received this year, the second-highest since the award’s 2020 expansion.
With over $20,000 in total prize money, it remains one of the richest short story competitions in the country, attracting writers from Tassie to Texas.
Geraldton-based writer Serena Moss collected the top prize and $15,000 for her compelling short story The Eulogy Business.
Runner-up Charlotte Askew was awarded $3000 for Somewhere Above the Artesian, while Amy Montague received $2000 and third place for All the Moments I Still Live In.
The ceremony was more than just a presentation night — it became a literary haven in Shepparton, complete with theatre, a bookstall and catering by Elsewhere at SAM.
“It’s like a miniature festival for writers,” Furphy Literary Award co-ordinator Robyn Black said.
“People make a weekend out of it. It brings a fair bit of tourism for Shepp.”
The 2025 Furphy Anthology, featuring 16 standout stories and including the three winners, is set for release in November, with an official launch planned in Melbourne.
Among this year’s longlisted writers was Mooroopna local Deborah Hunter, recognised for her evocative story The Boy on the Train.
The weekend’s celebrations continued on Sunday, with the youth and junior awards ceremony held at Shepparton Library.
More than 280 entries were submitted by young writers across the Goulburn Valley, with categories open for fiction and poetry in age groups 12 and under, and 13 to 17 years.
Asha Birchall, a Year 10 student at Goulburn Valley Grammar School, won first place in the Youth Short Story category for her heartfelt piece A Cup of Kindness.
Furphy Literary Award director Sam Furphy praised the calibre of youth entries.
“Each year, we are impressed by the originality and passion that young people bring to their writing,” he said.
“The awards are a celebration of storytelling and a chance for emerging voices to be heard.”
Twelve young creatives had successful recognition across the four junior/youth categories of the 2025 Furphy Literary Awards.
All entrants received a certificate for their efforts.
Founded on the theme ‘Australian Life in all its Diversity’, the Furphy Literary Award honours the power of storytelling across generations — from established writers to emerging voices — and remains a cornerstone of literary life in regional Victoria.
