Geordie's Scholarship Success

Congratulations to Associate Director Geordie Brookman, one of only five winners of a British Council "Realise Your Dream" scholarship.

The five talented winners, all in the emerging stages of their career, were selected from a bumper crop of more than 600 entries from across the country.

The winners are:

  • Geordie Brookman, theatre director from Adelaide, SA
  • Alice Gage, writer and independent publisher from Redfern, Sydney NSW
  • Samara Hersch, theatre maker from St Kilda, Melbourne VIC • Maricor Marica, artisan designers and twin sisters from Newtown, Sydney NSW
  • Natalia Milosz-Piekarska, contemporary jeweller from St Kilda, Melbourne VIC

Now in its eighth year, Realise Your Dream is a unique prize among creative scholarships offering important industry hook-ups that have seen past winners expand their careers, both in Australia and internationally. The prize awards each winner a return flight to the UK with Virgin Atlantic and an $8,000 NAB Cash Passport from National Australia Bank to cover their expenses.

But the key part of the prize is a tailored professional development programme, including meetings, placements and mentoring. The British Council will tap into its network in the UK creative industries to help open the doors winners need most to further their careers.

The winners are those applicants who displayed innovation and leadership in their chosen fields, and who have a clear vision of how they’ll benefit from connecting with the UK’s best.

The 2010 Realise Your Dream entries were open to candidates in fields such as visual arts, fashion, design, advertising, architecture, music, animation, digital media, performing arts, publishing and computer games.

The scheme awards excellence in Australia’s creative industries by providing financial and professional support to help winners make lasting connections and expand their horizons in one of the world’s most vibrant cultural settings, the UK.

Realise Your Dream is a British Council initiative made possible by principal sponsor NAB, in association with Virgin Group of Airlines, Stamford Hotels and Resorts, triple j, Access PR and Republic of Everyone. The awards will run again in 2011.