This year's winner of the VCA's George Fairfax Memorial Award is Simon Stone, actor-about-town and founder of The Hayloft Project, one of the most interesting young companies in Melbourne. Aside from something impressive to put on his CV, Stone wins $20,000 to assist his artistic development.

He plans to develop his first original text, which will be devised, workshopped and performed by The Hayloft Project. He's the latest name on a pretty interesting list. Previous Fairfax winners include Chris Kohn (Stuck Pigs Squealing and now artistic director of Arena), actor Luke Mullins (presently a member of the STC Actors Company) and Chris Bendall (artistic director of Deckchair in Perth).

Meanwhile, David Williams has some good news for NSW artists - the State Government has at last released its guidelines for funding submissions in 2009, after a year of uncertainty, during which artists have been frankly advised by arts bureaucrats to try their luck interstate. David also gives a useful summary of main points of the NSW arts policy review. Let's hope this ushers in some better times for Sydney independent theatre.