The 2022 nominees for the Australian Fairy Tale Society Annual Award for Inspiration and Contribution to Australian Fairy Tale Culture” are Sophie Masson, Jo Henwood, and Spike Deane. AFTS members are currently voting on the winner.

SOPHIE MASSON

Born in Indonesia of French parents, brought up in Australia and France, Sophie Masson is the award-winning and internationally-published author of more than 60 books for children, young adults and adults. Several of her novels are inspired by fairy tales: Carabas (1997), Cold Iron (1998), Clementine (1999), The Green Prince (2000), The Firebird (2001), Moonlight and Ashes (2012), Scarlet in the Snow (2013), The Crystal Heart (2014), and Hunter’s Moon (2015). Serenity Press releases include French Fairy Tales (2020), and Magical Tales from French Camelot (2022). Sophie was the AFTS 2015 conference keynote speaker for ‘Transformations: Spinning Straw into Gold’.

SPIKE DEANE

Spike Deane is a visual artist, who specialises in cast glass, creating art about fairy tales, folklore and mythology. Her mixed media arts practice is focused on the underlying narratives found in folk and fairy tales to consider questions of becoming, transformation and ‘the hopeful journey’. She graduated with Honours from Sydney College of the Arts (Glass) in 2012, and was a finalist in both ‘Hatched’, the National Graduate Art Prize and the National Student Art Glass Prize with pieces combining animation, glass and fairy tales.

JO HENWOOD

AFTS co-founder Jo Henwood has remained a guiding hand and wand bearer since 2013. She continues as public officer, and Ring Maiden, providing the in-depth notes that deepen members’ appreciation of fairy tales.

Despite her preference for working behind-the-scenes at the AFTS, Jo takes centre-stage as an accredited Storyteller with Australian Storytellers; as an accredited Professional Guide with the Institute of Australian Tour Guides; and as a museum theatre creative, workshop leader and public speaker.

Among her passions are literature, history, creative writing, intangible culture, storytelling – and, of course, fairy tales.