THE 2025 Whitsundays Writers Festival is shaping up to be another great community event, following the success of last year’s festival.
Following an outstanding response to the 2024 Festival, the Whitsundays Writers Festival has announced the first of its featured authors for 2025.
Dr Anita Heiss will be the keynote speaker at the festival, which promises to be an ‘immersive celebration for writers, readers, and lovers of story’ according to organisers.
An internationally published, award-winning author of 25 books, Dr Heiss is a proud member of the Wiradyuri Nation of central NSW, an Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and Professor of Communications at the University of Queensland.
Festival chair Karen Jacobsen said she was very excited to be welcoming Dr Heiss.
“We are over the moon Dr Anita Heiss has agreed to join us for our 2025 festival,” Ms Jacobsen said.
“It’s rare for regional Queenslanders to have the opportunity to meet renowned national and international writers.
“This is an important event for the Whitsundays and a golden opportunity for readers and writers to visit the heart of the Great Barrier Reef at one of the most ideal times of year.”
Dr Heiss’s adult fiction includes Manhattan Dreaming, Paris Dreaming and Tiddas, which she adapted for the stage.
Her novel ‘Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms’ was shortlisted for the Queensland Literary Awards and longlisted for the Dublin International Literary Prize.
Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray won the 2022 NSW Premier’s Literary Prize for Indigenous Writing, was shortlisted for the 2021 HNSA ARA Historical Novel (Adult Category) and longlisted for the 2022 Stella Prize.
The Whitsundays Writers Festival, spanning three days from Friday, September 12, to Sunday, September 14, 2025, will also feature the prestigious Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards.
The Heart Awards provide well-deserved recognition and financial and prize awards to talented writers for best unpublished manuscript and short story.
Submissions for the Heart Awards close on July 14, 2025.
“This event will bring together creative minds in the picturesque setting of the Whitsundays. What better place to immerse yourself in the brilliance of Australian literature?” Ms Jacobsen said.
“I strongly advise securing your place at the festival and booking accommodation early to fully enjoy the wonders of the Whitsundays while indulging in the myriad of events the festival has to offer.
“We are proud to continue our presence offering an Australian regional writers’ competition.
“Our festival stands as an example for recognising and rewarding creative talent and fostering a culture that champions the contribution of writers.”
Aspiring, emerging, and seasoned writers are encouraged to review submission guidelines available on the festival’s website, ensuring compliance to entry requirements.
There are no geographic limitations other than being an Australian citizen or resident.
A panel of judges comprising readers, writers, and thinkers will evaluate submissions to identify exceptional works worthy of recognition.
Submissions are now open. Writers of all ages, and at all stages of their careers are invited to participate in the Heart Awards by submitting their work for consideration.
Further details are available on the festival’s website: http://www.whitsundayswriters.com/
