Announcing the Shortlist for the Flash Fiction Prize 2026

Back in its second year, we received hundreds of flash fiction submissions from all around the country. We extend our thanks and appreciation to every person who has entered this year—your stories are a testament to the diversity of local creativity and your participation helps us continue the award into the future.

Our prize readers were impressed with the stories on offer and choosing a shortlist was tricky business, and so we have selected ten stories in consideration for the winning spot. The first prize winner will win $1000, and the two runners-up will receive $500. All three stories will be published in Kill Your Darlings magazine. Meet the shortlist:

‘Sticky Notes’ by Perry S Childs, SA – Love cannot be hidden away in this poignant story about sorting through the remnants of a past life.

‘Have Gun Will Shoot’ by Vivienne Cleven, QLD – Arriving at the page to write is hard-won in this tense, wry story about one woman’s room of her own.

‘Devilled Eggs’ by Rosie Forrest, NSW – Grief is explored through the loops of time and tender reflection.

‘Projected Changes in the Frequency of Extreme Precipitation Events’ by Benjamin Hickey, VIC – The life of a woman in precarious circumstances comes to life in the vivid stream-of-consciousness rendering of her internal world.

‘Lillies’ by Neha Kale, NSW – Two sisters come together for an overnight stay in a motel in the wake of loss.

‘The Slips’ by Aliyah Knight, NSW – A poetic speculative story about an uneasy domestic partnership at the edge of rising waters.

‘I Suppose There was a Time When There Were No Taxes’ by AE Macleod, QLD – Birds provide a powerful allegory in this story about the insidious, perpetual nature of war.

‘Save Yourself’ by Molly Moloney, NSW – Events are not what they seem as a stranger convinces a child to leave the safety of the school grounds.

‘Moonah’ by Mark S Perry, VIC – Nature is the most powerful influencer in this dark, twisted story about the wisdom of the forest.

‘Post-Divorce Apartment’ by Ariella Van Luyn, NSW – Visual image and prose come together in this mapped-out story about the dangers of modern dating life.