Human Rights Essay Prize Lecture: Christopher Bryant

Portside Review and 720 ABC Radio Perth are proud to invite you to a special lecture with Christopher Bryant, winner of the 2026 Human Rights Essay Prize: Rainbow Pride, exploring the themes of his award-winning essay The Pursuit of Happiness. Through a deeply personal exploration of addiction, trauma and self-acceptance, The Pursuit of Happiness examines the intersections of queerness and disability, and what it means to find belonging in a world shaped by systemic discrimination. The judging panel praised the essay for its balance of realism and humour: "Sometimes hard and other times hilarious, this essay strikes a clever balance between realism and humour, culminating in a call for genuine curiosity and the pursuit of communal joy as the key to social change." About Christopher Bryant Christopher Bryant is an award-winning playwright, performer, author and disability consultant. He has worked with organisations including Griffin Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company, The Wheeler Centre, Malthouse, La Mama and Accessible Arts NSW. His writing has appeared in Star Observer, Hello Mr. Magazine and other publications. He recently completed a PhD in disability and radical adaptation at Monash University and has taught playwriting at institutions across Australia. About the Human Rights Essay Prize The Human Rights Essay Prize is an annual initiative of Portside Review, Centre for Stories' literary journal, recognising outstanding creative non-fiction that explores human rights. The 2026 theme, Rainbow Pride, invited writers from around the world to explore LGBTQIA2S+ rights through lived experience, professional expertise and personal storytelling. The Prize is funded by Centre for Stories' Founder’s Circle and esteemed donors Baden Offord, Christopher MacFarlane and John Ryan, whose generous support continues to make the Prize possible. We gratefully acknowledge Rainbow Futures WA for supporting this year's Human Rights Essay Prize: Rainbow Pride and championing LGBTQIA2S+ voices and human rights.