Congratulations to the nine sci-fi writers who have been shortlisted from hundreds of entrants in the 2025 John Hinde Award. The shortlist – which covers entries across the produced and unproduced categories – includes seven feature films and two episodes of children’s television series Rock Island Mysteries.
The winning writers will be announced at an industry event in Melbourne in mid-July. The winning writer in each category will take home $5,000, generously provided by the John Hinde trust.
The shortlisted projects in the unproduced category will soon be available for producers and executives to explore on AWG’s prestigious Pathways Showcase, where they join a curated collection of screen, stage and audio projects currently available for development, created by Australia’s top writers.
2025 SHORTLIST
PRODUCED CATEGORY
Rock Island Mysteries: ‘An Echo Must Return’ by Rachel Laverty [children’s television]
Rock Island Mysteries: ‘To Catch a Ghost’ by Matthew Bon [children’s television]
War Machine by Patrick Hughes and James Beaufort [feature film]
Zero by Jesse Laurie [feature film]
UNPRODUCED CATEGORY
Blood Will Have Blood by Vivienne Walshe [feature film]
In a world where every fifty year old receives their own teenage blood supply, extending their life span by fifty years, a Man loses his Supply and sets about kidnapping a new one.
Mine by Noah Jordan [feature film]
When shimmering alien goop bonds with grizzled outback miner Tori, a cosmic love affair begins, as does a sinister feud with her neurotic male neighbour, Alex.
The Harvest by Darcy Conlan [feature film]
When a foreign backpacker takes a job on a remote Australian fruit farm, she discovers that the land thrives under a sinister cosmic force and the farmers will spill blood to keep it that way.
The World Michael Made by Peter Redhead [feature film]
We did it. We made Utopia. So why is the guy responsible so damn depressed about it?
Tiny Places by Charlie Milne [feature film]
In small-town South Australia, a complacent man is given the technology to journey into the mind of his wife, where they rekindle their relationship as her dementia worsens.
