Our 2025 winner is Canberra artist and glass artist, Spike Deane!
As part of her many and wonderful contributions to the Society, Spike created the AFTS Award itself. We’re delighted that she’ll have it on display, to enjoy, for the coming year.
Dr Debra Phillips, who painted our 2023 conference artwork – Cottage, Cauldron, Castle – has created a special artwork for Spike: ‘Little Red Riding Hood’!
Our 2025 Award recipient Spike with the trophy she herself designed and made. Congratulations, Spike!
(Thanks to Erin-Claire for the photo.)
Alyssa Curtayne and Spike Deane are our 2025 nominees for the
‘AFTS Annual Award for Inspiration and Contribution to Australian Fairy Tale Culture’.
Read about our nominees, visit their websites and then cast your vote –
noting that only current AFTS members may vote by 10pm May 18.
Alyssa Curtayne
www.alyssacurtayne.com
Alyssa has fostered the writing and telling of fairy tales in her workshops, has promoted other fairy tale storytellers in her podcast, Heart of Storytelling, and is, of course, famous as a fairy tale storyteller herself, nourished from her time at Emerson College, UK.
With the AFTS, Alyssa was one of the three main creator-performers in our Salonline webseries (which can be found on the AFTS YouTube channel), and co-writer of the Salonline ebook which can be purchased from our website.
She went on to re launch the Perth Fairy Tale Ring, facilitate projects with the Perth storytellers and fairytalers, and last June became President of the AFTS, steering the Society into a wonderful future.
Spike Deane
www.spikedeane.com
A decade-plus of being Australia’s only fairy tale glass artist makes Spike’s a national and international contribution, and, her dedication to the AFTS, since its inception in 2013, has ensured her visual ‘voice’ has made a lasting and notable impact for and on behalf of Australia’s fairy tale community. A lasting legacy (for us) is the AFTS Award trophy that truly speaks to our logo – and our society of interest.
We also celebrate Spike’s many additional contributions (past and present):
- Graphic designer for many of our conference programs, social media banners and slides
- Our original Website Wizard
- Executive Committee member in the Society’s early struggling years
- Canberra Fairy Tale Ring leader
- eZine committee member and contributor
- South of the Sun anthology committee member and contributor
- Founding Member #62
- Creator of Kathleen Jenning’s gift as 2020 Magic Mirrors keynote presenter.
Australian Fairy Tale Society 