Hunter Writers’ Centre is delighted to announce the selected works for the 2026 Grieve Project, Australia’s national storytelling initiative dedicated to stories of grief and loss. This year’s selection, drawn from hundreds of submissions across the country, will be published in the Grieve Anthology and featured in the Grieve Online Gallery.

The Grieve Project invites Australians, from experienced writers to those simply needing to tell their story, to explore grief through creative expression. Works submitted span poetry, prose, music, film, multi-media, and the visual arts. The selected works go beyond responses to death alone. They grapple with lost potential, unrealised futures and give voice to experiences that are overlooked or marginalised.

This year’s selected works were curated by Kylie Mirmohamadi and Jodi Vial, with Katarina Lindstrom as Associate Curator. Reflecting on the process, the curators shared:

‘This curatorial process has been an intense and, at times, emotional experience…  There were so many stories, of loss and grief, but also of love. We were surprised to find ourselves, in the early stages of reading, hopeful and uplifted despite the heavy subject matter we were navigating. Perhaps that is because, ultimately, love was at the centre of each story we read… It is, beyond anything else, a project about love. It tells us that love is everywhere, that life in all its forms is to be treasured, and in today’s world that is a message that bears repeating.’

Hunter Writers’ Centre Director, Katherine McLean, said the Grieve Project speaks to the power of storytelling and the arts.

‘Art and storytelling provide us with the language to express the ineffable, something that is difficult to convey in the everyday. Each year, people trust us not only with their creative work, but also their expression of grief. It is humbling and an honour, and we thank everyone who submitted their work to us.’

Grieve Project sponsors and In-Memoriam donors now choose the recipients of this year’s sponsored awards. Award winners will be announced in August during National Grief Awareness Month.

Hunter Writers’ Centre proudly acknowledges the support of our project partners, the National Association of Loss and Grief (NSW) and Pettigrew, our sponsors, and In-Memoriam Donors whose generosity makes the Grieve Project possible.

View the selected works here.