AWC alumna Deborah Mackie wins the Wild Atlantic Writing Award

We were beyond excited to hear that Australian Writers’ Centre alumna Deborah Mackie has won the Wild Atlantic Writing Award for her short story “A Letter to Her Husband’s Girlfriend”.

As an active member of the AWC, Deborah shared details about the competition in our So you want to be a writer podcast community on Facebook, but didn’t actually expect to win it herself!

“I submitted my entry and didn’t think any more about it,” Deborah told us.“€500 prize money is just a bonus – winning the comp is what really matters to me.”

After working first as a journalist and then in property law, Deborah decided to combine her love of writing with travel when she retired. She took some courses at the Australian Writers’ Centre to hone her craft, including Copywriting Essentials, Travel Writing, and Food Writing, and she is also a member of our Freelance Writing Masterclass Program.

“Doing the AWC classes, having access to all the resources and being involved with the group is what brought me to my writing journey and has given me the confidence and determination to keep pressing forward,” Deborah says. “So a big thank you for your AWC vision and generous sharing of your knowledge and talents.

“The support, feedback, mentoring, resources and cross-fertilisation of ideas is what makes the difference. And, it’s what gave me the confidence to enter the WAWA competition. Whether it’s a writers’ centre, a retreat, a group or a festival, being part of a writing community is what can turn dreams into reality. I now know this first hand.”

Congratulations to Deborah, and here’s to many more successes. We’re so proud to have you in our community.

You can read Deborah’s winning story and learn more about her writing experience on the WAWA website.