Skills & Recognition

My regular entries to writing and poetry competitions have yielded consistent results, and allowed me to develop many skills relevant to freelance writing. The experience of crafting pieces to meet the deadlines and requirements of contests has taught me how to:

  • Write for an audience
  • Effectively manage my time 
  • Consistently generate new ideas

Awards and Achievements

Peter Sharp Memorial Prize (2017 & 2018)

I am a two-time winner of the Peter Sharp Memorial Prize. The award is granted to one entrant of the Young Tasmanian Writers’ Prize per year by author Penny Lane, to the writer of a notable short story. My winning stories, Turbulent Seas and Forget Me Not, received publication in the Tasmanian literary magazine Forty Degrees South and Tasmanian Association for Teaching of English’s magazine EduTATE. The prize also included $100 in cash.

Young Tasmanian Writers’ Prize – First Runner-Up (2022)

I was awarded first runner-up in the Young Tasmanian Writers’ Prize 2022 by judge Rayne Allison, a published author and recipient of a PhD from The University of Oxford. My winning short story Hysteria received publication in EduTATE. 

Joylan Literary Scholarship (2019)

I was awarded the Joylan Literary Scholarship in 2019 in recognition for demonstrating outstanding literary capabilities. St. Aloysius Catholic College awards the scholarship to one student per year. 

Other achievements include:

  • A Distinction in the 2017 ICAS English Competition
  • A Highly Commended in the 2017 Young Writers’ Prize for A Deathly Instrument, the second of two stories I entered in the competition that year
  • The title of finalist of the 2019 Ipswich Poetry Competition for my poem The Round Table
  • The title of finalist in the 2021 and 2022 Hobart College Poetry Competition for my poems Catholic School and we’re everything the world is not

To read a collection of my stories and poems, click here.

Other Hobbies and Transferable Skills

Outside of participating in writing competitions, for several years, I have been actively involved in community and academic events, which have allowed me to strengthen my communication skills, develop my organisational skills, and work dynamically and effectively as part of a team.  These experiences have served me well in my work as a writer.

Hobbies and experiences include:

  • 4 years of participation in speech and debate competitions with the Tasmanian Debating Union. 
  • Regular attendance of UN Youth Australia events including The Evatt Competition and UN Youth Australia Tasmanian State Conference.
  • 6 years of studying foreign languages (French and Italian), during which I was introduced to linguistic and grammatical principles which deeply enriched my understanding of my own native language.
  • Several months volunteering for the Hobart City Mission. 
  • Secretarial work experience at The True Life Companies in Denver, Colorado. 
  • Participation in language-based contests like Tournament of the Minds and the Tasmanian Ethics Youth Olympiad.