CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
1979 - Began illustrating children’s books.
1985 - Wrote first book, Clive Eats Alligators.
1985 - 2004 - Writing and illustrating.
1985 - 2004 - Exhibitions at Books Illustrated, Fremantle Children's Literature Centre, Des Bunyon Gallery, Dromkeen, Season’s Gallery, McClelland Gallery.
1993 - Guest speaker at IBBY conference, Manila.
1996 - Writers Project Grant from the Australia Council to travel to the Spanish Riding school in Vienna to research Running With The Horses.
1999 - Writer in residence at Tanglin Trust School, Singapore.
2001 - Guest speaker at Story Lines Festival, Auckland.
2002 - Visiting author at the Bologna Book Fair, Italy, sponsored by the Australia Council.
2004 - Guest speaker, Simmons College, Boston, USA.
2004 - Visiting author to Seoul, Korea for Children’s Book Week.
2004 - Visiting author, international schools in Tokyo.
2005 - Traveled to Antarctica as an Australian Antarctic Arts Fellow, creating the Kids Antarctic Art project.
2005 - Workshops and exhibition of Are We There Yet in Japan as part of the Asialink literature touring program with the Aichi expo.
2005 - Photographer on tourist ship to Ross Sea region of Antarctica.
2006 - Are We There Yet? illustrations exhibited in Taipei.
2006 - First painting for the Kid’s Antarctic Art project exhibited at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.
2007 - Visual artist on two voyages to Peninsula region of Antarctica.
2007 - Kid’s Antarctic Art exhibition opens at Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.
2007 - Photographer and writer on voyage around Spitsbergen in the Arctic.
2008 - Kids Antarctic Art exhibited at Melbourne Style, South Melbourne, featuring selected works as larger canvasses.
2009 - Presenter at the Ubud Writer's festival, Bali, Indonesia.
2009 - India, Authors Tour.
2009 - Tokyo, Japan, Artist in Resident and working in International schools.
2010 - Bologna, Italy, Visiting Author at Bologna Book Fair.
2010 - Melbourne, Exhibition of Running With The Horses Australian Academy of Design.
2011 - Kiev, Ukraine, artist in residence, International School.
2011 - China, author tour, Swimming With Stories exhibition.
2012 - Antarctica, from Hobart on tourist ship working as expedition artist.
2012 - National Year of Reading' Ambassador. Are We There Yet? chosen to represent the NYR.
2012 - National Year of Reading tour of regional Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.
2012 - 2013, chosen as first Australian Children's Laureate with Boori Monty Pryor.
2013 - January, 'The Big Draw', Newcastle.
2013 - February, Perth Writer's Festival.
2013 - March, Beijing Writers Festival, Bologna Book Fair, Ireland - Laureate Tour.
2013 - April, Are We There Yet? Exhibition at Fish Creek for the Prom Coast Festival.
2013 - May, APY Lands Tour with CARCLEW Youth, Central Australia.
2013 - June, Mornington Island State Schools Visit.
2013 - July, 'Reef to Rigger Festival', Gladstone, Curtis Coast Literacy Carnival
2013 - August, Youth Forum at the Garma Festival, Arnhem Land, with the Yothu Yindi Foundation and Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
2013 - August, Alice Springs, Hermansberg, Laureate Tour.
2013 - September, Ipswich Writer's Festival.
2013 - September, Indigenous Literacy Foundation launch of the Yakanarra student's books, at the National Library of Australia, Canberra.
2013 - October, Launceston Families Festival and Bruny Island District School, Tasmania, Laureate Tour.
2013 - October, 'Around the World with Alison Lester', exhibition at Wellington Shire Council Gallery, Sale, Victoria.
2013 - November, 'Drawing with Alison Lester' at Taronga Zoo, NSW Laureate Tour.
2013 - November, Launch of the MCA: Arts and Literacy School's Program at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.
2013 - Patron of the Clean Oceans Foundation.
2013 - Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation
2014 - September, opened the Alison Lester Gallery / Bookshop in Fish Creek
2014 - Are We There Yet?, chosen as the first book given to a child from Dolly Parton's Imagination Reading Library.
2015 - Noni the Pony Goes to the Beach, reviewed in the New York Times.
2015 - worked with the students on the Tiwi Islands to produce No Way Yirrikipayi and Tiwi Girl for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
2015 - Noni the Pony Goes to the Beach, honour book for the Early Childhood CBCA awards.
2015 - 30th Anniversary Exhibition celebrating 'Clive eats Alligators", at the Fish Creek Hotel.
2015 - Shortlisted for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.
2016 - Visited Yakanarra Community in WA to work with students, parents and teachers, making books.
2016 - My Dog Bigsy, shortlisted for Early Childhood Book of the Year, CBCA.