Achievements
To all our participants, more than 100,000 of you aged from five years old to school-leavers: we are immensely proud of you and your achievements.
Congratulations to our students!
Congratulations to Sonia, who is a winner of Wellington’s literary festival Beyond the Page and is now a published author at the age of 8!
Congratulations to Alyssa, who was shortlisted for the 2024 University of Western Sydney Whitlam Institute “What Matters?” essay competition.
Congratulations to Emily C, who finished her HSC at North Sydney Girls High in 2023. Emily started at The Writing Workshop in term 1 of Year 1, and hasn’t missed a single term in 12 years (48 terms!) of school. She is now studying creative writing at university.
Congratulations to Adelyn and Ciara, award-winners in the 2023 Inner West Libraries Writing Competition.
Congratulations to Rose Forrest, whose brilliant story “A Stretching Summer” won the 2017 John Marsden and Hachette Australia Prize for Fiction. Read it here.
Congratulations to Isaac on his 2016 ICAS high distinction.
Congratulations to Brendon on winning the years 5-6 section of the 2014 University of Western Sydney Whitlam Institute "What Matters?" essay competition. Brendon attended after-school workshops from kindergarten to year 4.
Congratulations to Fergus on the award of a full scholarship to Sydney Grammar School from 2015.
Congratulations to Emily from our Eastwood group on her 2014 ICAS high distinction.
Congratulations to Lucinda, whose story "Daybreak" won the 11 years section of the 2013 Bill Coppell Young Writers Award.
Congratulations to Lauren, Sydney Youth Writing Competition Writer of the Year 2012.
Congratulations to Silvia, whose prose poem "Sometimes It Feels So Bright at Night" won the 14-15 years section of the 2012 Bill Coppell Poetry Prize.
Congratulations to all those who received (and kindly let us know about their brilliant results) in the 2012 and 2013 ICAS Writing tests, including two in a row (2011 and 2012) High Distinctions for Mia in year 4.
Congratulations to Thomas in year 5, whose book "Harry the Huntsman Spider" was published by Willoughby City Council in its Wildlife Story Books series, July 2012.
Congratulations to Ella and Julia whose short stories won 1st and 2nd places at the 2011 International Grammar School Arts Day.
Congratulations to Frankie, aged 14, whose poem "The Bird and the Beast" was exhibited at the 2010 “Not Violent, Not Silent” Art Exhibition of the White Ribbon Foundation.
Congratulations to Emily Maguire, colleague and workshop leader, who has been awarded a 2014 residency at the Nancy Keesing Writers' Studio in Paris. Well deserved! Bernard Cohen received a 2014 Australia Council New Work grant to write his next novel.
Congratulations to Tara shortlisted for the 2011 Tim Winton Award for Young Writers, presented annually in Western Australia. Tara attended our online workshop in 2010 and her Mum writes, "Tara LOVES to write and it is a fact that your course's approach definitely showed her (and her sister Brooke) a completely different way to plan, what to include and how to have a little more fun with their writing.I know that what Tara and Brooke learnt from [course leader Emily Maguire] was of great value as both have been doing extremely well in creative writing."
Congratulations to Lily Edelstein, whose essay "Girl Talk" was published in Jane Caro's Destroying the Joint anthology (UQP 2013). Lily was the only school student included in the anthology, which also has contributions from Wendy Harmer, Senator Penny Wong, Tara Moss and Emily Maguire. Lily completed year 12 in 2013, and attended The Writing Workshop since we started in 2006. More news from Lily: congratulations again on becoming a regular contributor to Birdee Magazine. We are thrilled.
Congratulations to Seren, Sabrina, Gabriel, MacKenzie and Rebecca, whose ghost stories were professionally recorded and featured in The Performance Space's "Nightime: Twilight" held very spookily at St Stephen's Cemetery on 15th September 2012. Seren's piece was extracted for ABC Radio National's Books and Writing program.
Congratulations to Diya Pacheco for attaining the 2011 NSW HSC Top Achievers list in English (Advanced), finishing 6th in the state! Diya attended a number of courses including our first ever holiday program in 2006 and an HSC Belonging unit of studies creative writing course. She writes:
A significant portion of my HSC English studies, particularly the creative writing components, were influenced by what I had learnt in your classes some time before... Having written an extended short story for my Ext 2 English Major Work, the solid grounding in creative technique I learned from you was imperative. I must thank you for this, because were it not for your invigorating and challenging lessons, I would never have reached the creative standard I did, and I certainly would not have achieved the marks I did.
Congratulations to Samuel whose short stories were awarded 1st AND 2nd prizes in the 2010 Sydney Youth Writing Competition. Congratulations to other participants (including Angelique) whose stories and poems were also highly rated and included in the SYWC anthology Thunder and Lime.
Congratulations to Erin and Ben, gold and bronze award-winners respectively in the 2010 Write-On Competition conducted by the NSW Board of Studies.
Congratulations to poet Silvia, aged 12, for an excellent third in the 2010 Gold Coast Writers' Association Children's Writing Competition (from many entries) and to Ella, 14, whose Vietnam War short story won the 2010 Junior Writing category at her school.
Congratulations to Lily Edelstein, 2009 winner of Burwood Girls High's inaugural Young Writer's Award. Lily, in year 8, has attended The Writing Workshop since 2006.
Congratulations to Rosie, aged 9, winner of the 7-9 year-old division of the 2009 Leichhardt Library children's writing competition.
Congratulations to workshop leader Catherine Therese, whose book (for adults) The Weight of Silence: A Memoir (Hachette Australia) was shortlisted for the State Library of NSW's National Biography Award. Catherine is also a stand-out stand-in for The Writing Workshop.
Congratulations to Darcy, aged 8, March 2009 Kids' Editor of Burke's Backyard magazine.
Congratulations to Willem Proos, runner-up in the 2008 Sun-Herald's "The Ultimate Story" competition. Kay (Willem's Mum) writes: "Willem had a great time at your course and learnt a lot." The competition attracted over 1000 entries.
Congratulations to Holly (year 5) and Nicholas (kindergarten) from TWW who won junior and senior sections respectively of the Annandale North Short Story competition. Claudia and Laine also won prizes, and Ella was highly commended. Congratulations to Alex from Drummoyne PS who won a school award for his story writing. Read Holly's truly remarkable story here.