The Human Rights Essay Prize is an annual initiative by Portside Review dedicated to amplifying voices that challenge injustice and inspire change. Established through a bequest from activists Baden Offord, Christopher MacFarlane, and John Ryan, the prize seeks to recognise and publish outstanding essays that engage deeply with human rights issues across the globe.

Rainbow Pride edition

The third edition of the Human Rights Essay Prize is themed ‘Rainbow Pride’. With a focus on LGBTQIA2s+ rights, our aim is to celebrate, empower, and spotlight queer issues. At a time when these fundamental rights of sexuality are being attacked worldwide, Portside Review offers safe harbour for creative expression, solidarity, and radical joy. We acknowledge that community-based approaches can lead to the nourishing of human rights for all kinds of people, and this edition will inform audiences, broaden reach and deepen discourse. Through essays on a range of topics united by lived experience, professional expertise, and personal story, we know that Portside Review can play a role in improving human rights. For 2026, we are pleased to partner with Rainbow Futures WA to deliver this from Whadjuk Country.

Judges

Sabia Rasool

Sabia is a writer, editor, and researcher from Kashmir. Her work explores the intersections of memory, visibility, and state violence, often through personal narrative, oral histories, and cultural critique. She is interested in how people resist erasure through music, language, and everyday joy. Sabia has worked across creative media and is currently focused on curating interdisciplinary narratives from Kashmir. She believes storytelling can be both an archive and an act of refusal.

Misty Farquhar

Misty is the CEO of Rainbow Futures WA and a lecturer at Curtin University’s Centre for Human Rights Education. They are a respected advocate and consultant on LGBTIQA+ inclusion, with their academic research exploring non-binary sexuality and gender. In 2021, they were awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for their outstanding contributions to LGBTIQA+ advocacy.

Wendy Cumming-Potvin

Wendy is a professor and research director at Murdoch University’s School of Education. For more than two decades, her research has highlighted diversity, equity and inclusion. Wendy’s research has been disseminated extensively through books, peer reviewed journals and creative/media outputs. Her latest book from Routledge, is LGBTQI+ Allies in Education, Advocacy, Activism, and Participatory Collaborative Research (2023).

Submission deadlines

Submissions open the week starting 13 April (official date to be announced). Details on submission requirements are listed below.

Submissions close 8 June at 11.59pm Australian Western Standard Time (UTC +8).

For further information, email Portside Review

Prize

First place: AUD $10,000*
Second Place: AUD $1,000
Shortlist: AUD $300 per person

*Prize amount includes travel and accommodation to Perth, to deliver a seminar on the topic of their winning essay.

Why we started the prize

From the very beginning, Portside Review has been committed to the power of language in shaping our world. The first piece we published in 2021 was a collection of activist student voices from Myanmar, highlighting the impact of the military coup. This moment solidified our belief that art is one of the greatest tools for peace and advocacy.

Since then, we have continued to pair great writing with ethical responsibility, always mindful of our place on Noongar Country, at the edge of the Indian Ocean. The Human Rights Essay Prize reflects this commitment, offering a platform for essays that address pressing social, political, and cultural issues with insight and urgency.

What we look for

Each year, the prize invites submissions from writers across the world, encouraging a diverse range of perspectives and literary styles. Whether through memoir, critical analysis, or experimental prose, we seek essays that explore themes such as:

• Human rights activism and advocacy

• Migration and displacement

• Indigenous rights and sovereignty

• LGBTQIA2s+ experiences and struggles

• War, conflict, and resistance

• Environmental justice and sustainability

For 2026, submissions must include LGBTQIA2s+ lived experience, professional expertise, and/or personal story.

How it works

Submissions go through a rigorous multi-stage review process, culminating in a selection of standout essays evaluated by a panel of esteemed judges. The winning piece, along with selected finalists, is published in Portside Review, ensuring these vital voices reach a wide audience.

SUBMIT YOUR ESSAY HERE