More Short Stories

Posted on by Dr Zuleyka Zevallos
Mark Brandi holds his hand out as he speaks behind a podium, before a crowd. He stands beside a large screen with his photo and title: Adult Judge: Author, Mark Brandi. Mark is an Italian man with short salt and pepper hair and beard, who wears glasses and a long navy shirt and pants.

My latest speculative fiction story was recently awarded the Highly Commended prize in the Adult Category of the Melton Libraries Short Story Competition.

The Short Story prize was announced on 4 September, 2026. It was judged by Mark Brandi, whose dark and evocative books explore crime, rural settings, and underclass lives with profound empathy. Wimmera was devastating, but it circles through my brain often.

The video further below shows Mark discussing my story, where he says:

“A disturbing, perhaps prescient story of environmental carnage and the failings of government policy that refuse to acknowledge looming disaster. At its heart, however, is the enduring power of the natural world. The writing is rhythmic and expressive, convincingly conjuring a future where climate change pushes people to extremes.”

In the past year, I’ve also been short- and long-listed for the following awards:

  • Brimbank Writers & Readers Festival Microfiction Competition 2026: short-listed
  • State Library Victoria Fellowship 2025: short-listed research project
  • Wyndham Writing Awards 2025: long-listed
A black card with writing, titled "Short Story Competition," showing a light bulb and quill pen tip in the bottom left corner, and Mark Brandi's headshot and the Melton City LIbraries logo on the right corner. Title reads: 'The Plundering Moss' Judges Comments (as per post)
Zuleyka and Mark Brandi smile while posing in a library. Zuleyka is a Peruvian woman with short black curly hair, wearing a high-neck black dress with a gold print, holding a piece of paper. Mark has his arm around Zuleyka's shoulder. He is an Italian man with short salt and pepper hair and beard, who wears glasses and a long navy shirt and pants.
Mosses and lichen over a tree trunk, with a forest in the background
Thin trees forking out of the ground, covered in mosses, with thick bushes in the background

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