A tale of hope and healing wins The Best Australian Yarn for 2024 – Australia’s favourite short story revealed.
Melbourne author Anson Cameron has been awarded the prestigious $50,000 first prize in the world’s richest short story competition, The Best Australian Yarn, during a ceremony at the State Library of WA on Friday evening.
Cameron’s poignant short story “Vanilla… Then Cinnamon” was selected by judges as the standout entry from a record 6,000+ submissions.
The winning story’s narrative delves into the emotional bond between a comatose patient and his nurse, showcasing Cameron’s masterful storytelling, honed through years of writing novels, short stories and newspaper columns.
Reflecting on his writing journey, Cameron cites inspiration from Australian literary legends Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson, saying “I just became totally enthralled by the worlds inside books”.
The other major winners included:
- Runner-up ($4,000): Frank Leggett (Balmain, NSW) for “Me, Pete and the American”, a mysterious tale inspired by his backpacking adventures.
- Regional Prize ($3,000): Sam Carmody (Albany, WA) for “Flutter”, a gripping account of the aftermath of a shark attack.
- First Nations Storytelling Prize ($3,000): Odette Brown (Hamilton North, NSW) for “Wattle”, a deeply personal exploration of loss and identity.
- Navitas ESL Prize ($3,000): Catherine Ooi (Campbelltown, SA) for “The Desolation of Colour”, which draws from her experiences in palliative care.
- Comic Story Prize ($3,000): Nina Dakin (Bibra Lake, WA) for “The West Coast”.
- Comic Story Youth Prizes ($1,500)
- Agatha Villazor (Brabham, WA; 12-14 years) for “The Parson’s Nose”.
- Ane Greyling (Lesmurdie, WA; 15-18 years) for “Endeavor”.
- Youth Prizes ($1,500):
- Danica Hehre (Mosman Park, WA; 12-14 years) for “Apocalypse Whenever”.
- Alastair Walker (Swanbourne, WA; 15-18 years) for “Roadkill”.
The Best Australian Yarn, proudly sponsored by Navitas, has experienced remarkable growth since its inception in 2022, with entries rising from 4,700 in the inaugural year to more than 6,000 in 2024.
This year also saw an increased prize pool of $80,000 and the introduction of new categories for comic stories, broadening the competition’s reach and diversity.
The distinguished prize jury for the 2024 competition included:
- Christopher Dore – Editor-in-Chief of West Australian Newspapers
- Terri-ann White – Publisher of Upswell Publishing
- Robert Drewe – Award-winning author
- Rachael Johns – Leading romantic fiction author
- Rachel Bin Salleh – Publisher at Magabala Books
- Holden Sheppard – Award-winning WA author
To read the winning stories, visit: thewest.com.au/yarn
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A tale of hope and healing wins The Best Australian Yarn for 2024
