Island Nonfiction Prize 2026 shortlist announcement
We are thrilled to announce the shortlist for the 2026 Island Nonfiction Prize.
The Prize was judged by Island's Nonfiction Editor Keely Jobe, along with Hayley Singer and Sam Elkin. The works were judged 'blind', and the judges have created a shortlist of five, before selecting the winning essay.
Nature Writing Prize winner announcement
Bridget Webster is the winner of the Nature Writing Prize for her piece “Like All Good Fruit.”
Meet our incoming Poetry Editor
We are thrilled to introduce our new Poetry Editor, Tim Loveday.
Tim will be a judge for the 2026 Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize, before stepping into the role of Poetry Editor, from issue 178.
Nature Writing Prize shortlist announcement
Entries were judged 'blind' from a field of nearly 200 entries, and the judges have selected a shortlist of three pieces, from which the winner will be chosen.
Congratulations to the shortlisted authors …
Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize 2025 winners
The winners’ work was selected from a very impressive shortlist that the judges described as ‘exciting poetry attuned to the current moment—its histories, its warnings, and the search for language to transform it’. Read more …
2025 Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize shortlist
This year's judges were Island's poetry editor, Kate Middleton, winner of the 2021 prize for 'The Memory of Water', Amy Crutchfield, and renowned award winning author, John Kinsella. We received close to 500 entries. Each judge read all submissions 'blind', and came to a collective shortlist of twelve poems. The shortlisted poets/poems are …
Winner of the 2024 Island Nonfiction Prize
We are delighted to announce the winner of the 2024 Island Nonfiction Prize is Cherry Zheng for ‘Fucking with Chineseness’.