Kate Ten Buuren performing as part of Steven Rhall’s Gesture (70º East) New Day Rising performance event. Photo by Bryony Jackson. Biennial Lab commission.
To make life a little easier for our readers, ArtsHub has brought together this comprehensive list of 32 opportunities available across writing, performing, and visual sectors – plus some that are open to all art forms – for the April-July period.
Visual Arts and Design
1. New South Wales Artists’ Grant
As the name implies, this grant is for visual and media arts, craft and design practitioners residing in NSW. This grant provides assistance for the costs of creating and presenting work, but can also go to the towards a residency, production of an artist’s publication or portfolio, and even setting up a website.
Applications close 22 April.
2. Freedman Foundation Travelling Scholarship for Emerging Artists
The Freedman Foundation Travelling Scholarship is one of the most prestigious grants offered by the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA), providing four talented young artists with $5,000 each to undertake formal study or to participate in a residency or a planned professional development program overseas.
Applications close 6 May.
3. Windmill Trust Scholarship for Regional NSW Artists
This scholarship provides assistance towards the cost of exhibiting work, professional development or education, and independent artistic research or practice such as studio rental, material or labour costs. Individual applicants are eligible to apply for funding of up to $10,000.
Applications close 10 June.
Art Bites is a rare opportunity for four emerging Australian filmmaking teams to create a 6 x 5 minute documentary web series about an art subject of their choosing, to premiere on the ABC Arts channel on iview.
Applications close 7 April.
5. Agendo 2017
The Agendo Art Award for young emerging artists 2017 is a non-acquisitive award of $10,000 conducted by Camberwell Grammar School open to Australian residents.
Applications close 16 June.
The Kilgour Prize is one of Australia’s major art prizes, and awards $50,000 for the most outstanding work of art as determined by a panel of three judges, and $5,000 for the People’s Choice Award, as determined by votes from the public.
Applications close 28 April.
7. Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture
The Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture 2017, through proposals for an artwork or a completed artwork, will inspire creativity of sculpture in the urban environment and how it can enrich and inform public life.
Applications close 17 May.
8. The Georges Mora Fellowship
The Georges Mora Fellowship gives one contemporary artist $10,000 for up to 12 months’ research and given the means and uninterrupted time to work closely with the rich resources of the State Library, including access to a private study within the Library, which can be used outside normal opening hours.
Applications close 23 April.
13. Contemporary Wearables’ Biennial Jewellery Award & Exhibition
The award, which has become a premier event that showcases the cutting edge in contemporary jewellery, is now calling for entries and includes up to $20,000 in awards and acquisitions.
Applications close 19 May.
Writing and publishing
1. The Monash University Undergraduate Prize for Creative Writing
Presented by the Emerging Writers’ Festival, The Monash University Undergraduate Prize for Creative Writing will award $4000 to an undergraduate or honours student for the best short story, poetry, non-fiction narrative or narrative verse. $1000 will be awarded to the highest placed Monash University student.
Applications close 12 April.
2. Richell Prize for Emerging Writers
The winner of the Richell Prize will receive $10,000 in prize money, to be donated by Hachette Australia and a year’s mentoring with one of Hachette Australia’s publishers. Hachette Australia will work with the winning writer to develop their manuscript with first option to consider the finished work, and the shortlisted entries, for publication.
Applications close 3 July.
3. Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund
The Cultural Fund is the philanthropic arm of the Copyright Agency. It provides grants to organisations for projects that enrich Australian writing, publishing and the visual arts.
Applications close 28 April
Enter Text is an international residency program for poets, writers and text-based artists, taking place at Arteles Creative Center in Hämeenkyrö, Finland. The program brings together emerging and established writers & artists with various backgrounds, from all fields of literature and text-based art.
Applications close 30 April
5. Big Issue fiction submissions
Submissions are now open for The Big Issue Fiction Edition 2017. Entries are free and every author published is paid $500.
Entries close 5 June.
Nominations have now opened for four prizes. Two prizes are sponsored by Routledge (cash prize of $3,500 each): one for a non-fiction book/e-book that enriches Australian cultural and intellectual life, the second for ‘Distinctive Work’- an exceptional artistic performance, exhibition, film, television show, play, composition or practical contribution to arts policy. The third prize (cash prize of $2,000) is sponsored by Future Leaders for a ‘Future Leader’, an individual under 30 years of age who is demonstrating leadership skill and potential in the arts, humanities and social sciences. The Co-Op has sponsored the fourth prize ($500 voucher) for a student essay, exhibition, performance or project in any HASS area.
Nominations close 30 June.
7. Varuna litlink residential fellowship
A LitLink Residential Fellowship offers writers and illustrators of fiction and narrative non-fiction living in regional NSW and Sydney Surrounds a two-week creative residency at Varuna the National Writers House in the beautiful Blue Mountains, NSW.
Applications close 15 March.
8. Adelaide Plains Poets Poetry Competition
This themed poetry competition has a total prize pool of $700. Work entered in this competition must be original, in English, unpublished and not have won a prize in any other competition. Authors retain copyright.
Entries close 13 April.
9. The Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation Playwriting Competition
The Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation holds yearly literary competitions for works that concern LGBT (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender) life and that are based on, or inspired by, a historical person, culture, event or work of art. This year the organisation is looking for full length dramas, comedies, musicals, or screenplays. The Foundation is particularly interested in works concerning pornography, sex workers, military service, aging, and education of LGBTQ youth.
Entries close 30 April.
10. Writers Unleashed Picture Book Writing Competition
Sutherland Shire Writers’ Festival is calling for original picture book manuscripts of 500 words or less. Must not have been accepted for publication or have won a prize in any other competition at time of submission. First prize $200.
Applications close May 1.
11. Children’s Literature Fellowship – includes YA Fiction
The State Library of Victoria has a specialist fellowship to support applicants wanting to utilise the Library’s children’s book collection on a project exploring aspects of children’s book publishing, writing or illustrating – early years, children and young adult fiction (0–18 years of age). The fellowship carries a grant of $15,000 and is for a period of three months full time, or longer if undertaken in a part-time capacity.
Applications close 23 April.
12. MPavilion/ Art Monthly Australasia Writing Award
Australian writers are invited to submit a proposal for an essay exploring one or more aspects of the relationship between art and design today. The winning writer will receive $3,000 to develop their submission for an essay to be published in an issue of Art Monthly Australasia.
Applications close 1 July.
Performing arts
1. Deadly Fringe seed project fund
Deadly Fringe is a new game-changing opportunity for emerging artists who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. With the support of ILBIJERRI Theatre Company, two projects will be seeded, developed and brought to life at the 2017 Melbourne Fringe Festival – and the artists will get $9,000 to do it.
Applications close 11 April.
2. Call to Create at Footscray Community Arts Centre (FCAC)
Call to Create provides use of the venue (at FCAC), box office split on ticketed presentations, and access to a FCAC producer for up to 10 hours of consultation and development advice. It is open to artists at all stages of their careers and to small companies and collectives.
Applications for projects accepted from June.
3. Testing Grounds Exhibition or Performance EOI
Testing Grounds is free for creative practitioners who wish to have an exhibition or put on a performance. Exhibition programming blocks out a three-week maximum period (including install and de-install), with 10 days of public exhibition per month in either the White Box or Black Box.
Applications accepted at any time.
4. Burrinja In-Kind Development Support program
This program is designed to provide space and mentoring to develop creative ideas leading toward public presentation.
Applications accepted at any time.
5. Russell Beedles Performing Arts Fellowship
The State Library of Victoria is offering a specialist fellowship to support applicants wanting to utilise the Library’s collections on a project exploring theatre and the performing arts in Victoria. The fellowship carries a grant of $15,000 and is for a period of three months full time, or longer if undertaken in a part-time capacity.
Applications close 23 April.
6. HATCH
This new development program at Frankston Arts Centre will help emerging artists create and present independent theatre in the outer suburbs. During five dedicated creative workshops – Storming an Idea, Grant Writing, Directing, Producing and Writing – theatre makers will have the opportunity to work with some of Australia’s best creative practitioners.
Applications close 12 April.
7. A Room of One’s Own – Women’s Circus Artist Residency Program
Women’s Circus Artist Residency Program offers female artists working in performance their very own room – for free! The program provides up to 2 weeks of access to Drill Hall, Women’s Circus’ training and rehearsal space in West Footscray.
Applications close 1 May.
Any art form
1. Test Sites
Test Sites is an opportunity for artists with public art ideas to experiment, research and develop on site in Melbourne central city with support from the City of Melbourne. It is open to artists working across all art forms and at all experience levels, wanting to try out ideas in the public realm.
The next round of seed funding will open in May.
The Cultural Trust provides small grants of up to $7,000 to individual artists for professional development opportunities overseas. This year the Cultural Trust want to attract a wider pool of applicants from a range of practices.
Applications close 23 May.
3. KIN
KIN is YIRRAMBOI’s artist development network connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists across Victoria to each other and the world. KIN provides artists with opportunities for deeper engagement with YIRRAMBOI and the international First Nations arts community through skills and leadership development, arts exchange and the commissioning of new work.
Offered by the State Library of Victoria, the Digital Fellowship offers two specific challenges in 2017: First, create a digital experience that will bring one or some of the library’s key physical collection items alive. Second, use the library’s open data sets to demonstrate a new way to explore or enhance the digitised content. The successful applicant will receive a grant of $15,000 for a three-month project that results in a unique digital resource of potential use to the Library.
Applications close 23 April.
5. Creative Fellowships Program
Applicants may be individuals or working in collaborative partnerships. They may include artists practising in any art form – such as the visual arts, new media, dance, musical performance or composition – and writers and scholars in any discipline or subject. Fellows receive a grant of $15,000 for three months’ research, space in a shared office that is accessible outside normal Library hours, and special access to collections and staff expertise.
Applications close 23 April.
