The end of the financial year often means a quiet spell in grants and funding opportunities. While many reopen in July, the mid-year period can be a valuable chance to set aside time for reflection and goal setting – especially if you’re feeling like your approach needs a reset.
Cat Dibley recently wrote about what grant assessors really see when they read your application and it was an eye-opening take on why you shouldn’t undersell yourself, or undercook that project budget. Earlier in the year, Gina Fairley also wrangled with some of the big picture pressures and trends, asking whether Australia’s box-ticking grant application culture was stifling creativity.
Both of these pieces ultimately speak to the constraints on assessors and the need to work within set frameworks. As Dibley says, think of the application as your advocate in the room when you can’t be there to add, explain or expand!
We all know how much effort goes into applications. Unfortunately, they can’t all be successful, and acknowledging that is an important part of avoiding burnout, but they can still be useful opportunities to reflect on where your practice is at and what you really want to achieve, while hopefully improving your grant writing skills for next go around too.
For those in Melbourne, there’s also a low-cost grant writing workshop coming up on 23 June at Kingston Arts Centre.
Prize. The City of Melbourne’s annual Melbourne Awards recognise important contributions to the cultural life of the city. The Arts and Events category is open to arts organisations, events, festivals and exhibitions that have had a positive community impact in Melbourne, along with initiatives that help artists live and work in the city.
Nominations for Melburnian and Young Melburnian of the Year are also open. Applications close 12 June.
Grant. With these Arts Tasmania grants, artists and groups based in Tasmania can apply for up to $30,000. Funds can be put towards the creation or presentation of new work, and also professional development and audience development, including publications and marketing.
Activities should commence after 1 November, and artist wages and fees should be included in all application budgets. Applications close 15 June.
Professional development. Next Wave festival has opened EOIs for its Kickstart development program. Designed for early career artists working in any discipline, Kickstart provides guidance, mentorship and support to help artists create new work for public presentation.
With a cohort of just eight artists and running over 18 months, the program is also a chance to build networks and share skills with peers.
Artists receive $10,000. Kickstart is open to anyone based in Victoria, however regular travel to Melbourne is expected. The definition of early career is another a curly one, but the approach here is pretty open. Organisers say: ‘Applicants who identify as being in the early stages of their practice (approximately within the first 10 years) are encouraged to apply.’
Applications close 18 June.
Grant. Arts Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Development Fund supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, groups and organisations based in Queensland.
Grants of up to $70,000 are available for performing arts projects, and up to $30,000 for visual arts market development, which can include exhibiting internationally. Smaller grants are also available to support accessibility needs for artists and audiences with a disability.
The funding round earlier in the year saw $441,246 awarded across just eight projects. Applications for this coming funding round close 22 June.
Grant. The Ian Potter Cultural Trust’s Emerging Artist Grants are a good one to bookmark if you’re looking to spend some time on professional development, either in Australia or overseas.
Grants of up to $15,000 are available to support early career artists of all artforms, from visual arts to community radio, design and literature. The grants can be put towards attending residencies, workshops and conferences, but can also be used to organise mentorships and study tours. Postgrad study is not usually covered here, but may be considered in select cases if it’s for something where there are no local options.
Applications close 23 June.
Grant. This grant is for independent South Australian artists and groups, and is designed to support the development, production and presentation of new works across all artforms.
Grants vary depending on the project but usually range from around the $5000 mark through to $50,000 for larger projects. This money can be used to cover nuts and bolts costs like creative talent and producer fees, marketing, photography, venue hire and freight, but it can also be used for travel and living expenses.
There are four funding rounds throughout the year. This coming round closes 29 June.
Professional development. The Australian Network for Art & Technology is all about helping artists learn about science and technology so that they can make experimental new work. ANAT’s Locale Mentorships are for emerging or early career South Australian artists, and provide the chance to be mentored by leading interdisciplinary practitioners from across Australia.
Artists can be working in any field, including the visual arts, film, writing, ecological art, virtual reality, performance, sound art and robotics. There are three mentorships on offer, and artists will be paired with up to four mentors depending on their field and interests.
Applications close 1 July and the mentorships will take place from September through to November.
Commission. Run by the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, the boorda yeyi commission is for artists working at the intersection of contemporary art and emergent technology. Worth up to $75,000, it’s open to artists from across Australia, particularly those at a pivotal point in their career who are looking to realise bold new work.
Possible approaches include immersive installations, or work that engages audiences both spatially and digitally. Applications close 8 June.
Commission. The Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts is looking for the next site-specific artwork for the annual Judy Wheeler Commission. The selected artist receives a $10,000 fee plus a further $10,000 for the production of the work, which will be exhibited for up to a year.
PICA is looking for ideas that engage with the building’s ‘transitional’ spaces – that is, areas that visitors move through and around, so the entrance lobby, foyer, stairwells and balcony mezzanine. With that in mind, proposals should consider the visitor experience in these spaces of ‘passage, encounter and movement’. For inspiration, past commissions include projects by Jen Berean, James Carey and Diana Baker Smith.
Applications close 8 June.
Prize. Worth $50,000, the respected Bowness Photography Prize is Australia’s richest award for photography. It’s run by the Museum of Australian Photography and is open to still photo-based media, including analogue and digital photography, which has been produced within the last year.
The resulting award exhibition is usually a wide-ranging snapshot of contemporary photo-based practice in Australia.
Entries are open to 14 June. While artificial intelligence can be used in the production process, it cannot be the substantial or overriding input into the creation of the work.
Residency. Run alongside the annual Hatched showcase at Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, this program will see four early-career art writers selected for a month-long residency in a shared studio, with work to be published in Artery. Applications for the Early Career Writers Residency close 15 June.
Prize. Supporting textile artists working in regional New South Wales, the Joyce Spencer Textile Awards provide $4000 towards the creation of new works or exhibitions.
The fellowship is awarded in partnership with the Cad Factory, and applications close 19 June.
Prize. Open to all Australian painters working in oils or watercolours, the R & M McGivern Prize invites entries on the theme of ‘atmosphere’. This year, two awards of $25,000 will be made, and the winning artworks will become the property of the Maroondah City Council Art Collection.
Prize organisers offer the following prompt: ‘For artists, the influence of atmospheres, both physical and emotional, on visual perception is fundamental. In Australia and around the world we are experiencing powerful impacts of climate change and shifting social, cultural and political atmospheres. The R & M McGivern Prize and exhibition invites artists to respond to their notions of “atmosphere” – from the momentary to the monumental.’
Applications close 25 June.
International fellowship. Run by the University of Sydney’s Power Institute, the long-running Paris Art Fellowships have been expanded for 2027.
Artists can apply for the Curtis Artist Fellowships, which provide $13,000 in financial support and a three-month residency. Four of these will be offered next year, all hosted at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. The Cité is an artist residency that provides living and working spaces to as many as 300 artists at a time. It’s often a great introduction to the city as well as a chance make connections with international peers.
Researchers (including curators) can apply for the Virginia Spate Research Fellowship, which provides $20,000 to go towards a three-month research trip to Paris. Two are offered per year, with one earmarked for University of Sydney academics only. ‘This immersion in the international city of Paris … allowed me to de-Australianise my thinking, away from the highly national lens encouraged by university study and editors here,’ writes past fellow Lauren Carroll Harris.
One of Australia’s longest-standing international arts programs, these fellowships have supported more than 140 artists, writers and curators since the program began in 1967. The deadline for applications for the 2027 fellowships is 30 June.
Prize. In other years, the Melbourne Prize celebrates literature and music but in 2026, it’s all about urban sculpture. The prize is open to Victorian artists at all stages of their career, and the expansive definition of sculpture includes public installation, new media, performance, sound and socially engaged practice.
Artist Maree Clarke has been brought on board to be one of the judges, along with curators Max Delany and Sophie Oxenbridge. The main prize is worth $60,000, with the finalists each receiving $1000. Two short residencies in Falls Creek will also be awarded.
Individuals and groups can submit, and entries can put forward past, present or future work. Applications close 6 July.
Fellowship. Run by the State Library of New South Wales, the $12,000 Ross Steele AM Fellowship supports research drawing on the library’s pictorial collections. The library has been collecting pictorial material since the 1880s, and while that was mainly documentary to begin with, SLNSW now collects much more broadly.
This Ross Steele AM Fellowship is for investigations into key images or image collections, though applications focusing on non-photographic media will be preferred by the judges. Applications close 10 July.
Prize. Just as the name suggests, the long-running Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize is open to works on the small side, no larger than 80cm in any dimension. Over the years, the respected prize has gone to both established artists and exciting up-and-coming talent, including Todd Robinson, Hannah Gartside, Sanné Mestrom and Tim Silver.
This year, Silver joins the prize as one of the three judges. The main prize, worth $25,000, will see the winning work joining the collection of Sydney’s Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf.
Applications close 12 July, with Woollahra Gallery’s exhibition of finalists running 2 October to 29 November.
Prize. Run by Museums of History NSW, the biennial Meroogal Woman’s Art Prize has a prize pool of over $18,000. Women artists from across New South Wales are invited to submit artworks in any medium, which explore Meroogal’s house and garden, collection, history and significance within broader historical and contemporary contexts.
The prize is non-acquisitive, though selected artworks will be displayed on the property. Entries close 15 July.
Short-term residency. This one’s for artists looking for a rehearsal space. Run by Randwick City Council in Sydney’s East, the RLI Residency provides a week’s access to the Randwick Literary Institute along with a small stipend. Preference is given to artists living in or with a connection to the Eastern Suburbs, however any Australian artist can apply.
The RLI Residency is designed as a one‑week, early‑stage development program for performance artists to test, explore and begin new work. It’s open to artists with a performance-based practice, including theatre, performance, movement, dance, physical theatre, circus and drag.
Artists have free access to their space at Randwick Literary Institute from 6 to 12 July. Solo artists receive a stipend of $2500 and groups receive $5000, with additional $500 stipends available for carers or those with access needs (though take note, the venue is not wheelchair accessible).
Applications close 8 June, with notifications expected to come through within the week.
Professional development. Applications are now open for Studio1’s curated showcase of short dance and physical theatre works, supporting South East Queensland artists to bring works-in-progress into a professional performance setting.
With only four slots available, Testing Site is an opportunity for artists to develop, refine and present their work with production and documentation support behind them.
Alongside studio time, artists also receive a $1000 honorarium. The showcase performances take place on 24 and 25 July, and applications close 15 May.
Scholarship. Supported by Arts Tasmania, the Annie Greig Dance Scholarship is for Tasmanian dancers aged between 17 and 26. Worth $28,500, it allows dancers to travel nationally or internationally to undertake professional development.
Travel must be for a combined period of at least three months, and activities can include studying or dancing full-time with a professional company or festival. Applications close 15 June.
Prize. Submissions are now open for the 2026 Young Composer Award, a national competition offering young Australian composers the rare opportunity to compose for and work directly with a professional symphony orchestra.
The winner also receives $5000. Applicants must be born in 1991 or later, and entries are open to 22 June.
Commission. Chamber Music Adelaide is looking for a South Australian composer to create a new work celebrating the 10th anniversary of the On the Terrace festival. It’s a substantial commission for a work in three parts, with the heart being a 10-minute finale written for two chamber ensembles and an inclusive choir.
The selected musician will be able to choose between the $8500 Independent Pathway commission, where the composer works fairly independently with some feedback from performers and singers, and the $6000 Mentored Pathway, which includes a tailored mentorship with Chamber Music Adelaide.
The work will then be premiered at On The Terrace in November as part of the festival’s anniversary celebrations.
Composers will need to have a body of chamber music work behind them, and be comfortable with the development timeline. Expressions of interest close 23 June.
Professional development. Learn to write about performance in this free, two-hour review writing workshop in Darwin on 2 July, led by Geoffrey Williams of Stage Whispers.
Williams will talk about how to observe performances with curiosity. He’ll explore theatre reviewing through structure, voice, analysis and ethics, helping participants develop the confidence to respond thoughtfully to live performance.
The workshop is part of Darwin Fringe. If you’d like to register, there’s no firm closing date but the earlier the better.
First Nations. The $25,000 Kate Challis RAKA Award is now open to Indigenous authors. The RAKA, which means ‘five’ in the Pintupi language, is awarded to an Indigenous artist in one of five categories annually, including creative prose, poetry, script writing, drama and visual arts – and in 2026, it’s prose.
Books must be written in English by an Indigenous author, and published between 2021 and 2026. In past years, the prestigious award has gone to visual artist Yhonnie Scarce, author Alexis Wright and filmmaker Ivan Sen. Applications close 9 June.
Prize. Submissions have opened for the 2026 ARA Historical Novel Prize. The prize is open to novels in which the majority of the narrative takes place at least 50 years before publication. The prize encompasses three categories:
Entries close 17 June.
Fellowship. This one’s for Victorian librarians looking to develop their ideas and leadership. Offered by the State Library of Victoria, the Ramsay Reid Fellowship provides $20,000 along with support and mentorship to develop ideas that address community needs.
The 2025 Ramsay Reid Fellow, Ben Kolaitis, asked the question: how can public libraries, one of society’s most trusted institutions, support communities to navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by AI? Through his podcast series Reading the Future, Kolaitis will explore how libraries can respond to the workforce, civic and social impacts of artificial intelligence.
Applications are open to librarians working in Victorian public libraries, and close 18 June.
Fellowship. Named in honour of the late Frank Moorhouse, this $10,000 Copyright Agency fellowship is for a young fiction writer aged between 18 and 35 years who has not yet published a full-length work of fiction.
Applicants must have previously published some short stories or work in literary magazines, journals or online. Writers who have published a full-length work, in fiction or any genre, are not eligible to apply.
The fellowship is essentially a living allowance to create a new work of fiction, though it may also be used for mentoring costs. Applications close 22 June.
Fellowship. The Paragraph Fellowship is an annual grant of $25,000 for an emerging or early career writer of literary fiction. Organisers say the fellowship is ‘not a prize for previous work, fame or connections’ but instead aims to support writers as they create their next work.
The Paragraph Fellowship is supported through Time to Write, a sub-fund of Australian Communities Foundation in partnership with Australian Cultural Fund. Writers must have professionally published between one and two works (self-published titles are not eligible) and must first be nominated by a member of the Paragraph Fellowship Nominations Committee. Applications close 3 July.
Professional development. Canberra Youth Theatre’s Emerging Playwright Commission sees an emerging Australian playwright commissioned to create a brand-new, full-length work that brings the stories and voices of young people to the stage.
The winner receives a full commission worth $17,700, plus ongoing dramaturgical support, development workshops in Canberra, and the experience of seeing their script come to life in a staged reading.
The initiative is designed to help launch the careers of talented writers who are ready to take the next step – those who are underway on their playwriting journey, perhaps with a production or two under their belt, but haven’t yet been professionally produced by a major theatre company.
Proposals must be for new works that are at least 60 minutes in length and written to be performed by actors aged anywhere between 7 and 25. Applications close 6 July.
Fellowship. The $50,000 Imago Fellowship is for emerging writers working with the collections of the State Library of New South Wales. It’s a relatively new one, established in 2024, and it’s open to writers who have either yet to publish a full-length work, or who have published a debut full-length work within the last five years.
The Imago Fellowship supports creative writing, fiction or non-fiction across any genre. SLNSW is also offering a range of history and cultural research fellowships, which also close 10 July.
Fellowship. Worth $20,000 with a further $4500 for professional development, these are high-value fellowships for early career Queensland writers. This year, three fellowships will be awarded.
It’s expected that writers have a strong track record of published work – which in this case means either a full-length published novel or a substantial body of shorter work (seven short stories or 15 poems).
The money is intended to support the creation of new work, which can be in any genre including short stories, poetry, novels, children’s and young adult books, plays, graphic novels and other non-fiction.
The additional $4500 for professional development can be put towards things like travel to literary events or residencies, workshops, masterclasses and one-on-one mentoring.
Applications close 13 July.
Prize. While it seems like almost every trade publisher now has an award for fresh novels and longform work, Hachette’s is a little different, requiring just the first three chapters of a work in progress. It’s open to both fiction and narrative non-fiction, and the $10,000 award includes a year of mentoring with a Hachette publisher, to help see the work through to completion.
Applications close 13 July and must include a brief synopsis and chapter outline.
Fellowship. The $20,000 Peter Blazey Fellowship supports the development of major new non-fiction works in the fields of biography, autobiography and life writing.
The fellowship honours the memory of journalist, author and gay rights activist Peter Blazey, who published a number of books during his career, including a political biography and a memoir. The fellowship has been set up by his partner and his brother, and is now run by the University of Melbourne. Over the years, it’s supported writers like Mykaela Saunders, Fiona Murphy, SJ Norman and Declan Fry.
Applicants must have a track record as a writer. This can include published books, chapters, articles or other written works (not including self-published writing). Writers need to submit a synopsis and 5000-word sample of their work in development, and applications close 27 July.
