THE 2026 Furphy Literary Award Junior and Youth Competition winners were announced on Sunday, July 26, with stories and poems from young writers across Greater Shepparton and surrounding regions.
The story tellers competed in four categories: Junior Short Story and Junior Poetry for writers aged 12 years and under, and Youth Short Story and Youth Poetry for writers aged 13 to 17 years.
Furphy Literary Award Director, Sam Furphy, said it was inspiring to see the quality of entries continue to grow each year.
“The Junior and Youth Competition continues to showcase the incredible talent of young writers across our region,” he said.
“These awards celebrate curiosity, creativity and the confidence to tell a story. It is always exciting to see the unique perspectives that young people bring to their writing, and we are proud to support them on their creative journey.”
2026 Furphy Literary Award winners – Junior Poetry:
First: Milo Rose, Darkness
Second: Lill Narrazee, The Woman Who Carried the Sun
Equal Third: Errol Rose, I Think Therefore I Am
Equal Third: Louisa Brown, There’s Love Underneath
2026 Furphy Literary Award winners – Junior Short Story:
First: Octavia Ford, Prince
Second: Reyansh Phutane, The Water Tower Whispers
Equal Third: Aira Alam, The Night Jaguar’s Tale
Equal Third: Harper Gilbert, Lost
2026 Furphy Literary Award winners – Youth Poetry:
First: Mahnoor Bari, They Chose, I Lost
Second: Khaniskaa Kumaran, Footprints in the Storm
Third: Charvitha Jyothi, Stranger
2026 Furphy Literary Award winners – Youth Short Story:
First: Haya Al-Bajalan, The Timekeeper
Second: Alyx Thompson, The Promise
Third: Saeesha Golhar, Solo Survivor
