Announcing the Winner of the Flash Fiction Prize 2026
Read the winning story ‘Devilled Eggs at the End of the World’ by Rosie Forrest—a journey through time that explores what matters most in the giant scheme of things.
We are delighted to announce the winner of the KYD Flash Fiction Prize 2026!
Our readers were spoiled for choice in the second year of the prize—we received hundreds of shorter-than-short stories from all around the country.
Taking the winning spot is ‘Devilled Eggs at the End of the World’ by Rosie Forrest, a journey through time that explores what matters most in the giant scheme of things.
Rosie Forrest is an emerging writer based in between Sydney and Melbourne. In 2017, she was awarded the Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers, where her story ‘A Stretching Summer’ was selected by bestselling Australian author John Marsden. Rosie recently completed her Master of Screenwriting at the Victorian College of the Arts and her final script was awarded the Brian Robinson Memorial Script Award for excellence.
Rosie has won $1000 for her winning story.
We’re also pleased to announce that the two runners-up are Vivienne Cleven for ‘Have Gun Will Shoot’ and Benjamin Hickey for ‘Projected Changes in the Frequency of Extreme Precipitation Events’.
Vivienne Cleven is a Gomeroi/Bigambul creator who grew up in western Queensland on Mandandanji Country. She left school at thirteen to work with her father as a jillaroo on stations throughout Queensland and New South Wales. She writes short stories and poetry about her many life experiences.
Benjamin Hickey is a writer, editor and educator who lives on unceded Wurundjeri land. A Varuna Fellow, Ben has won the Grace Marion Wilson Emerging Writers Award and the Newcastle Writers Award. Ben teaches in RMIT’s Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing and is studying a Masters in Creative Writing, Publishing and Editing at the University of Melbourne.
Each runner-up receives $500 for their stories, which will be published in Kill Your Darlings magazine in 2026.
Judges’ report: Winner
‘Devilled Eggs at the End of the World’ does that rare thing found in brilliant flash fiction: it captures what feels like an entire life in only a couple of pages. This highly original story had me laughing, and it also brought tears to my eyes. It resonates with metaphysical beauty and the reminder that profound and lasting love can collapse time.
—Rebecca Starford, KYD publishing director
Judges’ report: Runners-Up
Like Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, Vivienne Cleven’s ‘Have Gun Will Shoot’ celebrates what it means to have the space and autonomy to come to the page, but from a distinctly Blak perspective. A powerful story, masterfully contained and structured, it opens up all the questions left for pondering that great fiction does—including the power of words themselves as a means of agency.
Meanwhile, Benjamin Hickey’s ‘Projected Changes in the Frequency of Extreme Precipitation Events’ skilfully employs stream of conscious as a mode to explore the internal world of a woman on the vulnerable fringes of society. Displaying a canny talent for distinctly realised voice, the tale offers a lucid study of character and stood out for its originality and boldness.
The submissions this year offered us a range of stories that were surprising, compelling and wholly unique. These three selections give some idea of the breadth of imagination we witnessed in our reading, featuring experiments in narrative, character, voice and form.
—Suzy Garcia, KYD editor
The KYD Flash Fiction Prize will be back in 2027. Stay up to date with news of all our awards and opportunities by signing up to our newsletter and following us on Instagram, Bluesky, LinkedIn and Substack.
Subscribe to stay in the loop
Be the first to read new stories, discover publishing opportunities, and access resources. For people who love great writing.
