Cartanya Maynard says her journey since winning AACTA’s Brian Walsh Award for Emerging Talent in February has been “overwhelming in the best sense of the word.”
The Niparna/Hobart-based trawl wool fisherman, known for her roles in Heartbreak High, Deadlock, The Messenger and Gold Diggers, used the award’s support to secure a UK visa. Heading overseas is a step she never expected early in her career, and has already led to her first international role in HBO’s legal drama War alongside Dominic West and Sienna Miller.
The Brian Walsh Award was established by AACTA with support from Nicole Kidman and celebrates the late television executive’s work as a passionate champion of local talent. This award recognizes early-career actors who have demonstrated exceptional creative potential and a commitment to long-term career building.
Applications are now being accepted for 2026, and recipients will receive $25,000 towards career development, including $20,000 in Direct Career Advancement Funds contributed by Kidman and AACTA, and $5,000 worth of domestic and international tax services from Vialto Partners.
Industry insiders who will help select next year’s winners include Michael Idato, culture editor at The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age. Lana Greenhalgh, director of original scripts for Foxtel Group; Communication consultant Jamie Campbell. Director and producer Moon Eun-joo. Amanda Dassey, Netflix ANZ Content Director. Lindsay Martin, CBS Studios Senior Vice President of International Co-Productions and Development; Directed by Fremantle from a screenplay by Carly Heaton. The nine managing directors are streaming and broadcasting Amanda Raine and actor Rob Collins.
For Maynard, the award was the “final piece” needed to take her career to the next level, and the past year has been a “beautiful whirlwind.” Having peer support is also helpful, given that this industry is “more no than yes.”
“I have been working hard, but special support gave me the final turn of the engine, the forward impulse. I have now managed to firmly consolidate myself abroad, or at least I am laying the foundations, but without this award I would not have been able to do it at this stage of my career,” she tells IF.
“It really helped me get out of some spirals where I thought I wasn’t good enough, and I think that’s really valuable.”
Maynard plays Susie, a young Australian lawyer, in War, which depicts two top London law firms colliding over a shocking divorce case.
“It’s such a great piece of work. I think everyone is going to love this show,” she says.
“I think[Susie]represents Australia and Australian humor very well, and I’m working hard to showcase that in this huge English-speaking world,” she says.
Prior to winning the Brian Walsh Award, Maynard also starred in Toby Morris’ new film Cooee, set in an AI fantasy world and filmed on snowy mountains, a project Maynard said was one of the highlights of his career so far. Her character Torana is one of the few words that signifies the challenge of communicating through physicality.
“I’m really looking forward to the release of this film. It’s one of those special projects where you love the script. You love working on it. You love the people you’re making it with. Even now, we all chat on the WhatsApp group,” she says.
Maynard also has ambitions behind the camera, with Nailing It!, a project he wrote with childhood friend Takani Clark, receiving further development funding through Screen Australia, SBS and NITV’s Digital Originals program earlier this year. The series features a culturally disconnected Aboriginal woman as the main character. She accidentally opens a passage to the spiritual realm after failing “Welcome to Country.”
Becoming an actor had been a dream of his since high school, but once on set, Maynard found himself “hooking in” to all the emotional parts of the production. Suddenly, she realized that she could direct and create stories.
“I thought, ‘You know what, why don’t I try?’ Life is short, and it makes me happy,” she said, noting that her and Clark’s “Everest” was selected as a finalist for digital original.
“It’s like climbing Mount Everest and you see this beautiful view and you feel so incredible and then you know there’s an Everest on top of Everest. But it’s all about climbing, and we’re ready to climb again,” she says.
“Both Takani and I grew up in Tasmanian Indigenous communities. We want to show people what our world is like and talk about the issues that affect our communities. But we also love ghosts and spirits.”
Maynard, who started carving out a path in the UK, hopes to break into the American scene – “There’s nothing but hope for girls.” She strongly encourages new actors to raise their hands for the Brian Walsh Award.
“I know it changed my life and it could change someone else’s life too. I get emotional talking about it because I can’t believe I’m here and living in London.”
The AAXTA Brian Walsh Award for Emerging Talent will be presented at the 2026 AACTA Awards and Festival on the Gold Coast from February 4th to 8th. This award is given to actors with less than five years of recognized professional experience. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older and have not previously been nominated for an AACTA Award, with the exception of Best Short Film.
