Category Archives: Art

ZineWest 2026 Awards

Posted on by
Reply

Writing Judge: Dr Luke Carman

1st prize won by K T Major for UNTOLD $400 Cosponsored by the Writing and Society Research Centre, WSU  and NWG Inc donors

2nd Prize won by S L Jones for Temporarily Untranslated –
Book Award – Swallow by Alexandria Burnham

3rd Prize won by Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan for Puffers  – Book Award
Bound by Samantha W. L. Lee

Highly Commended – Book awards – Editions of HEAT
Myra A. for Overcome (Best Poem)
Nelson Groom for Little Coogee 
Zoe Gangell for My Fashion that she wore   

Art Judge: Maria Constantinescu
Best Image: Michaela Simoni for Bird on Tree (see front cover)
$100 – NWG Inc donors
Runners up: Dannielle Viera for Gaze and Sarah Cupitt for Fractured Chrysalis
Book Awards Editions of HEAT

Editors’ Awards – Book awards – Editions of HEAT
Kristof Mikes-Liu for A Person Stumbles  on Infinity
Peter Cartwright for The Gate
Jessi McDowell for Rice Cooker Song

 

NWG Inc September Updates

Posted on by
Reply

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR
ZineWest 2026 Launch – 20th Edition:
Readings, judges reports, awards, raffle & door prizes plus cake!
12 September 11:30am for Noon start – wrap up around 2pm.
Entry $10; Free for under 16’s and carers.
Zines $15; Contributors’ 1st copy $10.
Venue: University of New England’s Parramatta campus –
28 George Street Parramatta 1st floor
Presented as part of Parramatta’s Lit! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day and Night a Narrative Photography Discourse for Writers.
 A partnership between Artist Photographer Luminita Lenuta & Poet Mihaela Cristescu
Old Government House – Upstairs bedroom (via downstairs back door)
26 September 2026 11:am-2pm  Presented as part of Parramatta’s Lit!
See Code-mixing Poetry (FB) for more info.
May be an image of text

NWG Inc Gathering at Old Government House 
26 September “Welcome Room” 1:30 – 3:30pm  PLEASE NOTE NEW HOURS 
We will have an open mic and make plans for creating our upcoming digital anthology
NB This event will overlap with Day and Night (see above).
Image of WestWords Executive Director Michael Campbell, onboarding our team for our our first event at Old Govenrment House. 

ZineWest 2026 Launch 12 September

Posted on by
2

ZineWest Launch: Saturday, 12th September at University of New England Parramatta Campus,28 George Street, Parramatta.
11:30 am for Noon – 2:00pm or earlier (bump out 2:30pm)
Entry: $10, Free for under 16’s and carers.
Zines:$15; Contributors 1st copy: $10
Readings; Judges’ comments and awards
Door prize and raffle draws
Cake!
This event is part of Parramatta’ Lit! Check out the other events!


ZineWest 2026 Art

Posted on by
Reply

We are now open for art entries!
Artwork in ZineWest is a great addition to this zine for local writers. Please see below for info and the entry form.
Entries due 21 June. NB If you did not get an update re this due date – and were relying on a 19 July date, please let us know, and we will give you to 19 July.

Western Sydney visual artists – we are looking for images suited to our A5 publication – ZineWest 2026. Entries due 21 June 2026 – this year is ZineWest’s 20th edition.

We publish around 30 new writers and 10 visual artists, 16 years and over, who live, work or study in Western Sydney or are connected to a Western Sydney arts organisation. We will also offer online publication for entries that we cannot find space for in the print zine.

Best Image awards: 1st $100; Runners up: book awards. Sponsored by private donors.
Information and Entry form Here!

 

NWG Inc news

Posted on by
Reply

Writers and artists on Saturday, 14th February, at our first gathering in 2026, at  WestWords  see more below ….!

NEXT Gathering – Saturday14 March, 3-5 pm at
WestWords – Western Sydney Centre for writers, 41 Hunter Street, Parramatta.

Preparing our work for publication: This is an annual event! We discuss how we prepare our work so we can learn from each other. We read some short works (already published by NWG Inc) and express what we think about the writers’ intentions, style and skills with an open mind. We also ask do we have any suggestions for the writers’ ongoing success. We try hard to not impose our own taste or style or genre on the writer.  This workshop might help your ZineWest Entry! Entry forms will be available from 15 March.

….. On Saturday, 14th February, at our first gathering in 2026, at  WestWords, we heard great stories and poems by Western Sydney writers who contributed to our Pop Up Zine 2025 – or who joined us for the open mic. Plus beautiful and intriguing images from local visual artists. This was the final event in our 2025 Creative Project supported by the Australian Cultural Fund which made 2025 such a successful year for NEW Writers Group Inc.

 

NWG Inc in 2026

Posted on by
Reply

First gathering for 2026 – Saturday, 14 February 3-5pm
At WestWords Western Sydney Centre for Writing.
41 Hunter Street (Red brick house, corner Marsden St.) Close to Parramatta station.
Image above: Mihaela Cristescu.

We start 2026 with a presentation of works published online  in the 2025 Pop Up Zine – prose, poetry and images. The images will be shown on a ppt. Writers are invited to read from one of their 2025 pieces. Most are on the theme How Things Change. Contributors writing on an ‘open theme will also take their turn at the mic. 
This event is the wrap up of our 2025 Creative Project supported by the Australian Cultural Fund.

We will add a short open mic for writers not involved in PUZ 2025 and we will dream up a new theme for Pop Up Zine 2026

Reminder: Entry is $5 (to help us cover insurance) but free for first time attendees, under 16’s and financial members. Children may attend with a responsible adult but cannot participate in the program.

March Gathering: 14 March 3-5 pm at WestWords. We will be preparing for ZineWest Entries, in a session of workshops which can be useful for seeking publication in general. 

 

ZineWest 2025 Winners

Posted on by
Reply

ZineWest 2025 launch was proudly  presented on 13th September as part of Parramatta’s Lit!  in partnership with the Sydney Fringe Festival. Our venue was the University of New England’s campus at 28 George Street, Parramatta. ZineWest 2025 is central to NEW Writers Group Inc’s Creative Project 2025 supported by the Australian Cultural Fund. We thank all our supporters and donors including our financial members, the co-sponsor of 1st writing prize, the Writing and Society Research Centre (UWS) and Augusta Supple’s philanthropic support of ZW25’s production and cash prizes via the ACF. Both judges praised the high standard and diversity of the contributors. Congratulations!
 

AWARDS LIST ZINEWEST 2025

Writing Awards – Judge Dr Luke Carman
1st  David Mitchell – The Great Uldono
2nd Jelena Curic – Gringo
3rd Peter Cartwright – Jo
Best Poem  Joshua Heylin – Where else to bring the end of this night
HIghly Commended  Nelson Groom – The Turtle
Highly Commended Tyswan Slater – Table Setting

Editors’ Award Joint prize
KT Major – Potage/Patronage
Mitch Browne – Pendulum

Art Awards – Judge Maria Constantinescu
Best Image – Czarlemagne Jeronimo
Runners-up:
Sarah Collis – Where is Home?
Micahela Simoni – The Seahorse and the Jug

 

Parramatta’s LIT!

Posted on by
2

Our annual ZineWest Launch  and  New Writers Group Open Mic event which features ZW entrants plus an open mini comp, will be proundly presented as part of Parramatta’s LIT! in partnership with Sydney Fringe 2025. We are delighted that so many of our writing and art colleagues can contribute to not one but two festivals, Sydney Fringe and the new Parramatta’s LIT! founded by festival director Augusta Supple. 

This is a special year for NWG Inc because we are also supported by the Australian Cultural Fund for ZineWest: publication, prizes and related events including free workshops and online publishing.

NEW Writers Group Creative Program 2025

Posted on by
2

NEW Writers Group Inc is seeking donors who believe in the literary talent that exists in Western Sydney! We love to help new  writers develop their creativity, get their work published, workshopped, celebrated. This year our committee set up an Australian Cultural Fund (ACF) campaign to support ZineWest and the flow on of activities we offer all entrants in 2025.  NWG Inc does not have Deductible Gift Recipient Status but via ACF, financial donors can claim their monetary gift as a tax donation.  

Any queries email us:  



ACF  LINK  NEW Writers Group Creative Program 2025 

 

We will never ask individuals, people help us in many ways, but if you wished to donate, you must not materially gain from the project. For instance if you entered and won ZineWest you would keep the award for sure, but not the cash prize that goes with it. The cash would be used to directly benefit other writers during the Creative Program. The ACF advises if uncertain, contact your tax adviser.
 Images: ACF poster; our April attendees going public with the project at WestWords.

Expression 4 Celebration

Posted on by
1

Our annual digital anthology Expression collects works from our online Pop Up Zines. On 8 Feb 2025 we celebrated Expression 4 with readings and an art PPT, rounding up with a Valentine open mic. Most works in Expression (edition 4) were on our 2024 Somewhere Else theme plus some antholgy pieces. See below the gallery for more detail and Please check out the writing and art currently on this site.

 

Gallery: From top left: Carol Amos, NWG Inc President. Readers: Mihaela Cristescu, Augusta Supple (reading for  Norm Fairbairn and Danny Draper) Marina Robins, Anisoara Laura Mustetiu, C.A.Broadribb, Greg Kenny, Michelle Huynh and Marina Robins with her winning art entry Barely There and her book award choice. Sue Crawford (Expression editor) and the ppt of Somewhere Else images and photos from Mihaela Cristescu’s Vivid 2024 collection. Danielle Catherine gave the group info on her picks of local opportunities for writers offered by our amazing venue host, WestWords.

Awards: Marina Robins won the Somewhere Else book award for her image Barely There. Peter Cartwright (unable to attend) won the Somewhere Else writing award for his poem Sophia and the River. Mihaela Cristescu won the Valentine Open Mic for her poem The Man who told me I was Beautiful.  Please check out the writing and art in the Pop Up Zine 2024.