Highly Commended Storyteller

Class of 2022 student, Tia Priest-Willimott, has been named a Highly Commended Storyteller in ABC’s 2023 Heywire Competition, acknowledging her impressive writing talent.

Tia’s entry, Trips to the Theatre, which can be read here, details how performance has shaped her.

“We received hundreds of applications, and we are delighted that yours has received this award,” said The Heywire Team to Tia.

“We were so impressed with [your] ability to craft an authentic and compelling story of your lived experience. Thank you for being brave and sharing your story with us.”

Heywire is a storytelling competition open to young people living in regional or rural Australia, which includes Canberra.

Students in Years 10-12 were invited to join a Heywire workshop at Radford, offered by local ABC producer Katie McAllister in August 2022, to help them get started on an entry to the competition.

Katie spent a lunch time with a small group of enthusiastic students, including Tia, inspiring ideas for possible stories they could share in their entry. The students heard past winning entries, discussed them, and did lots of writing.

“It was a really exciting process,” said Tia. “[Katie] talked us through the process of writing an inspiring, honest, and captivating entry and gave us time to workshop some answers to a few questions that she posed, such as how do you know when you're home and where's your favourite place to go in Canberra? She taught us that such simple questions can give way to strong pieces of writing filled with emotion and beauty.”

Tia decided to write about the theatre after rehearsing for Radford’s performance of Macbeth and going to see another show at the theatre that same night.

“I realised just how important theatre was to me and so many others,” said Tia. “I think being in shows and going to see them is something that everyone should try as it encourages people to see the world differently and be more confident in themselves.”

Tia hopes to become a journalist and plans to study journalism at university this year, buoyed by her recent award.

“To be named a Highly Commended Storyteller surprised me! It proved to me that writing about something personal that you're passionate about often creates wonderful stories that entertain and inform,” said Tia.