The Human Rights Essay Prize

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.

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

  • LGBTQIA+ experiences and struggles

  • War, conflict, and resistance

  • Environmental justice and sustainability

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.

Submissions for the 2025 Human Rights Essay Prize are currently OPENED.

Judges

Kirsten Han

“The importance of human rights can be felt in every aspect of our lives; there are so many ways we can talk about it and reflect on the ways that it affects us and the societies we live in. I’m really looking forward to reading all the entries and learning from diverse voices!”

Kirsten Han is a Singaporean writer and activist. She’s the managing editor of Mekong Review, a quarterly Asia-focused literary magazine. She also runs We, The Citizens, a newsletter covering Singapore from a rights-based perspective. She received an Honourable Mention in 2018 for the World Justice Project’s Anthony Lewis Prize for Exceptional Rule of Law Journalism, and a Human Rights Press Award in 2019 for her commentaries on "fake news" and freedom of expression. In 2024, she won the Portside Review Human Rights Essay Prize for her essay, Singapore Will Always Be At War, on Singapore’s harshly punitive drug policy.

Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes

“I am excited to read essays that speak truth to power, show reverence to life and to nature, and honour the struggle of those who are trying to make this world a better place for all. I encourage voices and perspectives that sit at the margins, those that define and expand human rights beyond the usual laws and frameworks.”

Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes is a writer, poet and human rights academic from Lalibela, Ethiopia. He currently lives in Boorloo (Perth, Western Australia), where he is the Director of the Centre for Human Rights Education at Curtin University. His academic and creative work revolves around African traditions, Ethiopian philosophy, epistemic justice, issues of looted manuscript repatriation, and the politics of language and belonging. His bilingual memoir/poetry collection የተስፋ ፈተና / Trials of Hope won the 2024 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award and will be published by Fremantle Press in 2026. He was a 2023 Red Room Poetry Emerging Poet in Residence and one of 30 poets featured in Red Room’s ‘30in30’ National Australian Poetry Month celebrations. His academic publications include the sole-authored book Native Colonialism: Education and the Economy of Violence Against Traditions in Ethiopia (The Red Sea Press) and the co-edited book (with Offord, Fleay, Hartley and Chan) Activating Cultural and Social Change: The Pedagogies of Human Rights (Routledge). 

John Ryan

“I look forward to reading and learning about the important human rights issues and experiences that face us in these precarious times. I know I will be heartened by the spirit of activism for humanity in all its aspects and the welfare of the planet that this essay competition encourages and values.”

John Ryan specialises in education, social justice and cultural literacy.  He has been a Head Teacher of English in New South Wales Secondary Education, a branch president of the NSW English Teachers Association and a visiting fellow of the Centre for Australian and Transnational Studies at the University of Barcelona.  John’s work focuses on Education, Pedagogy and Cultural Studies and addresses the relevance of LGBTIQ+ social justice in relation to contemporary global culture; Education and Modernity as reflected in Australian Literature; Genre studies and, Creative writing and the ficto-critical voice. He has published widely.