2024 Sydney Hammond Memorial Short Story Competition Winners Announcement
Hawkeye is delighted to announce the winners for the 2024 Sydney Hammond Memorial Short Story Competition!
The judges have deliberated over the shortlist to decide on the winners for this year’s Sydney Hammond Memorial Short Story Competition. Thank you to this year’s judges: L. E. Daniels, author and editor; Pamela Jeffs, author; Pauline Yates, author; Meesha Whittam, editor and publicist; Bek Diskett, editor. Judges say, ‘It was a pleasure to judge the competition this year. The high quality and range of genres and stories we were able to read was wonderful. We commend all entrants on their work.’
Judges have narrowed down the entries and decided on first, second and third place as well as two honourable mentions. Hawkeye would like to congratulate the winning entrants on their achievement.
Congratulations to the 2024 Hammond Memorial Short Story Competition winners:
1st place: Saints by Jay McKenzie
‘A well-crafted story with beautiful writing and timely domestic violence themes. Disturbing yet thought-provoking.’
2nd place: Travelling with Rosie by Kellie M. Cox
‘A sweet, heart-tugging take on an end-of-life tale with the addition of letter-style prose.’
3rd place: The Shoplifter by Rebecca George
‘A cheeky story with humour, effective characterisation, and a fantastic twist.’
Honourable mention: Bracelets and Boxes and Goodbye by Alison McCaffrey
‘A well-crafted coming-of-age story with strong writing and an emotional twist.’
Honourable mention: Good Girl by Nicky Peelgrane
‘Vivid Australian setting and authentic characters with powerful conflict.’
Please join us in congratulating the winners. With 93 entries this year, it’s a significant achievement. These entrants achieved highly in all areas of the competition, including writing ability, addressing the theme, and creating rising tension. The winning stories grabbed judges attention from the first line and presented a polished story that evoked emotion.
The top 40 stories, including the shortlist, will be published in an anthology titled The Look That Said It All, with the cover design based on the winning story. Longlisted entrants will each receive one complimentary copy. Pre-order your copy here. This is a limited-edition publication and only available through pre-orders, until 11 October 2024 (they make excellent Christmas presents!).
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