Opportunities – quick links:
Awards and competitions
The AWGIE Awards recognise and reward the outstanding achievements of Australian performance writers and their contribution to Australian culture and the arts. Entries are open for eligible screen, stage, interactive and audio works that finished principal photography or production or had a first performance between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024. A new comedy category for Stand-Up has been added in 2025.
Entries close 18 September; learn more and enter.
Commissions
Queensland Ballet Bespoke 2026
Queensland Ballet is inviting emerging and established choreographers, designers, costumiers, composers and interdisciplinary creatives to pitch original ideas for Bespoke 2026 contemporary dance season showcasing new commissions in an immersive theatre experience at the Thomas Dixon Centre.
Selected collaborators receive a fee-based commission, studio development time with Queensland Ballet dancers, access to the Company’s production facilities and technical crew and more.
EOIs close 26 September; learn more and apply.
Grants and funding
City of Melton Community Grants (Vic)
Not-for-profit community organisations located within the City of Melton might be eligible for one of five grant categories: The Arts; Sports and Hobbies; Healthy and Safe Living; Festivals, Events and Culture; and Environment and Nature. Applicants can seek up to $5000 per project, with a maximum of $10,000 per financial year.
Applications now open; learn more and apply.
City of Greater Geelong Arts Projects Grants (Vic)
A grant pool of $100,000 is available for new projects that are designed to grow arts and culture in greater Geelong, engage the whole community and deliver on the goals described in the City’s Arts and Cultural Strategy 2021-2031.
Activities may include visual arts and craft, music, performing arts, literature and writing, design, screen and media, digital media and creative technology, cultural heritage and collections, community arts and cultural development.
Applications close 8 September; learn more and apply.
Create SA Arts Organisations Program 2023-2026
The Arts Organisations Program (AOP) provides funding to a diverse portfolio of small-to-medium organisations that contribute to a sustainable and thriving arts and cultural sector in South Australia. Program support to up to $50,000 per annum and annual funding of up to $100,000 a year are available.
Applications close 15 September; learn more and apply.
Professional development
ArtsHub Creative Journalism Fellowship
ArtsHub is offering a new paid arts and cultural journalism mentorship program for emerging NSW-based writers. Over a six-month period, 10 participants will gain real-world journalism experience, mentorship, and training in defamation, cultural safety and technical skills.
Applications close 14 September; learn more and apply.
M16 Environmental Artist in Residence (ACT)
This residency is designed to support artist developing and exhibiting new artworks that examine the core principles of environmental stability. The M16 Environmental Artist in Residence will receive a $2000 scholarship, a nine-month residency at M16 Artspace in 2024 and four-week exhibition in 2026.
Visual artists and creative practitioners from all backgrounds and career stages residing in ACT or surrounding region are invited to apply.
Applications close 15 September; learn more and apply.
Mosman Art Gallery and The Balnaves Foundation have launched a new initiative providing $80,000 biennially to support the development of a significant piece of research or creative endeavour over a one-year period. Each winning project must engagement with Mosman’s artistic heritage and/or The Balnaves Gift to be selected and will be included in the Mosman Art Gallery program.
Applications close 29 September; learn more and apply.
2025 Dhiraamalang: Wesfarmers First Nations Arts Leadership Program (ACT)
Established in 2010 by the National Gallery of Australia and Wesfarmers Arts, the Dhiraamalang: Wesfarmers First Nations Arts Leadership Program has supported 138 First Nations arts professionals and built capacity within the arts sector through leadership and mentoring opportunities. The program runs from 1-12 December 2025 in the ACT.
Applications close 19 October; learn more and apply.
Want more? Visit our Opportunities page for more open competitions, prizes, EOIs and call-outs.
