Griffith Review 2026 Emerging Voices competition winners

Griffith Review has announced the winners of its 2026 Emerging Voices competition, which seeks “fiction and creative nonfiction that reflect new ideas, fresh voices and bold perspectives”.

The winners are:

• Kailum Graves
• Uthpala Gunethilake
• Sarah Kanake
• Erin Courtney Kelly.

The 2026 judges included Griffith Review editorial staff alongside writer Sharlene Allsopp, Pink Shorts Press publisher Margot Lloyd, and literary agent Melanie Ostell.

Griffith Review editor Carody Culver said, “We received our highest ever number of entries in 2026 by a significant margin.”

“We’re always struck by the quality of the entries we receive, and this year was no exception. There’s so much incredible writing talent out there, and we’re thrilled to be sharing this year’s winners with our readers very soon!”

The winning works are set to be published across Griffith Review editions in 2027 and the winners will share a prize pool of $20,000.

Last year’s winners were James Aird, Phoebe Cannard-Higgins, Shelley Eves and Miriam Webster.

More information about the competition is available on the Griffith Review website.

Category: Awards Local news