The Best Australian Yarn 2023: Prizemoney gives winner David Harris shot at Great Australian Dream

David Harris could barely have imagined when he entered the Best Australian Yarn competition in 2022 that it would take him along the road to realising the Great Australian Dream.

Harris’ short story I Shoot Them Now was crowned the best of the nearly 4700 entries and delivered to his wallet the $30,000 winner’s cheque.

“I was renting before that and now we have bought a house and moved in,” the father-of-two said. “The competition was definitely a part of what made that possible.”

The 2023 contest was officially launched on Friday and now boasts $50,000 for the winner as part of a rich $75,000 prize pool, courtesy of leading sponsor Navitas.

Two new categories have been introduced: the Navitas English as a Second Language Prize; and the First Nations Storytelling Prize.

Harris said that he “having a think” about entering again, conceding that he would be silly not to considering the money on offer.

“Last year’s competition was such a good experience. If the muse visits, then I’ll probably give it a go,” he said.

I Shoot Them Now told of a son reflecting on his family’s relationships when he learns of the death of the mother who abandoned him.

It was his first attempt at a contemporary Australian story, so he thought about what felt quintessentially Australian to him.

When writing, Harris first considers the concept and the setting.

“Then I think about the characters and if there is a journey that I can take the reader on,” he said. “You need to evoke a response in the reader.”

Harris said that he was to give advice to aspiring writers, it was that the story must feel real and that the details and tone must have a level of authenticity.

Harris is currently working on a collection of short stories ranging across the genres of magical realism, fantasy and science fiction. He hopes to self-publish in the next few months.

The cover art was produced by Naomi Craigs, who beautifully illustrated the Best Australian Yarn stories published in The West Australian in 2022.

Harris said winning the competition had been helpful in opening doors and “enabling conversations with people I might not have been able to previously”.

He praised the addition of the new categories.

“I think it’s great to come up with incentives to make it as inclusive as possible,” he said.

“The sense last year was that it was very accessible, and to make it even more so is really good.”

To enter the competition, go to bestaustralianyarn.com.au