Fremantle Press poet Chris Palazzolo changes lanes to win a Furphy

Chris Palazzolo, author of Personal Logistics, has won the 2026 Mattie Furphy Short Story Competition for his piece, ‘The Water Getting Red’.

Judge Brooke Dunnell described Chris’s work as an experimental story that used vivid and complex detail to describe the experiences of a man returning to a pivotal moment of childhood on the last night of his life. Brooke said, ‘The narrator’s growing awareness of what’s happening, his confinement in his younger body, and the scene’s sudden shift from memory to death combine to create an accomplished, impactful piece.’

Administered by the Fellowship of Australian Writers Western Australia, the award garnered 113 entries – from flash fiction to long-form fantasy.

Second and third place went to ‘Fruit’ by Christabel Seneque and ‘The Periphery’ by Leila Riley Wright, with a further three writers highly commended.

In her judges’ report Dunnell, who is the author of the novels The Glass House and Last Best Chance, has written a series of pithy and apposite tips for writers, which you can read here: https://www.fawwa.org/_files/ugd/5ad191_4883c75dd5484adb989a3dc39635c63f.docx?dn=2026%20MFSSC%20judge%27s%20report.docx