by FIlmInk Staff
Eight scripts shortlisted for the 2026 John Hinde Award for Excellence in Science-Fiction Writing
Eight outstanding scripts by 14 writers have been selected from over 200 entries in the 2026 John Hinde Award. In the Unproduced category, two television pilots and two feature films have been shortlisted, while in Produced, episodes of NCIS: Sydney and Zip and the Tiny Sprouts compete with feature film Cooee and short film Self Love.
The winners will be announced at an industry event in Melbourne in late July alongside the winners of the AWG’s Emerging Writers’ Awards. The successful writer in each category will take home $5,000, generously provided by the John Hinde trust. Funded by a bequest from the late Australian film critic John Hinde, the Award was established to encourage, reward and foster creativity in the development and showcasing of Australian science-fiction writing.
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.
The Australian Writers’ Guild extends our congratulations to these talented writers for being shortlisted and thanks all those who entered and continue to expand the boundaries of the science-fiction genre.
2026 SHORTLIST
PRODUCED CATEGORY
Cooee by Stuart Beedie, Toby Morris and Sam Burnett [Feature Film]
Small-town Australia, twenty years in the future. There’s no work, no hope – but a whole lot of aimless teenagers out to drive fast, hunt roos, get laid and escape into a virtual wonderland.
NCIS: Sydney: Season 3, Episode 6 ‘Sucker Punch’ by Fiona Kelly and Ella Cook [Television]
The death of a US DARPA scientist takes NCIS: Sydney into the top-secret world of biohybrid insects and bioweapons, leaving two team members in a fight for their lives.
Self Love by Jeremy Brull [Short Film]
When his malfunctioning identical clone reverts to a fearful child, Travis is forced to confront the trauma he buried long ago, realizing that to save himself, he must first save the boy he once was.
Zip and the Tiny Sprouts: ‘The Starship Wonder Tree’ by Peter Johnston, Breehn Burns and Jason Johnson [Children’s Television]
When Zip is suddenly stuck inside for the day, the Tiny Sprouts must use their creativity to bring the sun back out and save Zip from the brink of boredom.
UNPRODUCED CATEGORY
After the Lights Go Out by Matt Kazacos [Feature Film]
In the wake of an apocalyptic power outage in a remote country town, PRU, a conflicted 17-year-old is forced to take on her missing father’s life mission; keeping their survival bunker (and supplies) secret from their increasingly desperate neighbours.
Hypersomnia by Sam Meikle [Television]
Wake. Sleep. Subjugate. Repeat… Memories, dreams, and nightmares aren’t the only things that can come to you in your sleep.
Lucky by Aaron Lucas and Mark Rogers [Feature Film]
When Guy, a permanently emerging filmmaker, casts a humanoid robot – Lucky – in the lead-role of his first feature, the desperate director must hide the true origins of his synthetic star to keep his reputation intact. But Lucky isn’t just a bad actor, he’s barely believable as a human. Guy’s film seems doomed, until he realises Lucky is a perfect mimic – the more Guy exposes the worst of himself, the better Lucky becomes.
The Parenthood Test by Ryan Prestipino [Television]
In a world where compulsory IUDs control overpopulation, a lesbian couple win a rare chance at becoming parents by participating in “The Parenthood Test”, subsequently becoming subjects of a national reality television show.
