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This week’s opportunities
Awards
BOCCA Art & Sculpture Prize 2024 (NSW)
The Best of City & Country Art (BOCCA) Prize is in its third year and this time with a collective prize of $11,000 on offer to all artists who reside in Australia. The Prize is presented by the Bowral District Children’s Foundation committee in partnership with EA Experience and The Pop-Up Project. A finalists’ exhibition will be held at Bowral Art Gallery on 22 March.
Entries close 8 March; learn more and enter.
2024 NSW Premier’s History Awards
Nominations are now open for the 2024 NSW Premier’s History Awards worth a total of $85,000. Administered by the State Library of NSW, in association with Create NSW, the NSW Premier’s History Awards will offer prizes in six categories this year: Australian History prize, General History Prize, NSW Community and Regional History Prize, Young People’s History Prize, Digital History Prize and the Anzac Memorial Trustees’ Military History Prize.
Nominations close 3 April; learn more and nominate.
The Goulburn Art Award (NSW)
The Goulburn Art Award began in 1992 and is held every two years. It is open to artists living within a 120-kilometre radius of Goulburn working in any medium. The Gallery encourages submissions from artists at all stages of their careers. A prize pool of $15,000 is on offer across categories and this year the prize judge is Bree Pickering, Director, National Portrait Gallery. Concurrently, the Goulburn Regional Art Gallery will hold the the Young Artist Award for young artists aged 10-18 years.
Entries close 4 April; learn more and enter.
Whitsundays Literary Heart Awards (Qld)
Whitsundays Writers Festival has launched a series of literary prizes for writers, poets and book cover designers nationwide. This includes the $2500 Gloria Burley Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript, $1500 Best Published Book Cover Design Award, $1000 Best Short Story Award (two divisions, one adult and one under 18) and the $1000 Poetry Prize.
Submission dates vary; learn more and submit.
The Brisbane Portrait Prize celebrates Brisbane portrait artists and their sitters, while encouraging public engagement with the arts. Any artist with a connection to Brisbane is eligible to enter. The sitter must also have a connection with Brisbane. All entrants will be eligible for the $50,000 Lord Mayor’s Award and category prizes worth a further $40,000 are on offer.
Entries close 22 May; learn more and enter.
Grants and funding
Around $700,000 is available for regional artists, arts workers and organisations with the latest round of the Australian Government’s Festivals Australia program. The program aims to foster community participation and audience engagement at festivals and community celebrations across regional and remote Australia. Projects eligible for funding can include, but are not limited to, a parade, performance, workshop, installation or exhibition – giving people the chance to participate in or attend an engaging arts experience in a regional or remote community.
Applications close 18 March; learn more and apply.
Victorian Circus and Physical Theatre Projects and Capacity Building for Individuals and Groups
This program is designed to specifically support individuals and groups in the circus and physical theatre sector in Victoria. It provides investment to artists at all stages of their career (emerging/mid-career/established), and supports activity with an artistic, mobility or capacity building focus. Applications may be for new work development, collaboration and presentation of work; mobility and market development activities through national or international touring; or professional pathways and skills development activities including training, mentoring and capacity building. Up to $50,000 is on offer. There is also the Operations for Organisations stream, offering up to $300,000.
Applications close 9 April; learn more and apply. Online information session 20 February 12.30-1.30pm; register.
Copyright Agency Cultural Fund
The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund supports leading Australian creative organisations and key industry stakeholders with grants to create and deliver exceptional opportunities for Australian writers, journalists, editors, publishers, English and literacy teachers, and visual artists – and especially for those from First Nations and diverse backgrounds. For 2024/25, the priorities are to support commissions and paid opportunities for writers and visual artists through audience development projects, and support targeted sector development projects for the writing, publishing and visual arts sectors.
Round One applications close 15 April; learn more and apply.
Music Australia has announced the launch of the new Export Development Fund, which aims to support emerging, breakthrough and established acts at international festivals, elevate the number of headline tours and strengthen collaborations with international artists. Additionally, it aims to boost global recognition of Australian music through awards nominations, radio airplay, and appearances on streaming and television platforms. The Music Australia Export Development Fund offers targeted support for Australian artists at critical moments in their careers by providing a bespoke grant program that targets three specific areas of export activity including: International Performance and Touring, International Professional and Artistic Development and International Audience and Market Development.
Applications close 9 April; learn more and apply. Online information session 12 March 12.30-1.30pm; register.
Call-outs
Connect@Gunning Station (NSW)
Southern Tablelands Arts (STA) is looking for artists and creatives to exhibit and/or run workshops at Connect@Gunnning Station. Connect@Gunning Station is set to become a destination for cultural experiences and opportunities, and is a new arts and cultural hub for the entire STA region. This opportunity is open to all artists, at all stages of their career, working in any media and community-based cultural organisations. Creatives and organisations must be existing STA Members or be eligible for STA Membership, living within one of the seven LGAs (local government areas).
Applications now open; learn more and apply.
SXSW Sydney 2024 Session Select and Showcase Applications
SXSW Sydney is inviting creators, thought-provokers and innovators to take part in the 2024 event showcasing the intersections of art, music, technology, design, games, screen and more. The Session Select program invites panels, presentations, workshops, meet-ups or podcasts that inspire real change. Submissions are also open for the Games, Music and Screen Festivals. SXSW Sydney is looking for innovative, abstract, genre-defying feature films, shorts, games, bands, solo projects, music videos and episodic works. Applications for fiction and non-fiction projects that use virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) are also now accepted.
Submissions are open; learn more and submit.
Wellbeing Through Art (NSW)
Accessible Arts and the Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW) will celebrate NSW Women’s Week 2024 with an in-person and online Wellbeing Through Art session. Speakers include visual artist Emma Rani Hodges, clinical psychologist Jane Miskovic-Wheatley, comedian Celia Pacquola, dancer Laura Osweiler and AGNSW assistant curator of contemporary international art, Emily Sullivan. The sensory-friendly event will be Auslan interpreted and captioned, and is wheelchair accessible. From 6-8pm on 6 March.
Bookings not required in-person; for online registrations.
City of Sydney Creative Studio Tenancy
Applications are now open for 12-month tenancies in Creative Office spaces and Visual Arts studios at the City of Sydney Creative Studios. Applications are open to individuals, collectives, organisations and businesses working in the creative industry. Tenants are expected to move in from late May to late June 2024.
Applications close 14 March; learn more and apply.
SALA in the Park (SA)
South Australian artists and makers who create outdoor sculptures are invited to submit artwork for consideration in the SALA in the Park exhibition in the Centennial Park during the 2024 SALA Festival. The team at Centennial Park will select five sculptural artworks to include in the exhibition and feature alongside pieces from the permanent collection. The selected artists will receive a $350 payment for the loan and installation of their artwork.
Submissions close 17 March; learn more and submit.
Devonport Regional Gallery Community Art exhibition (Tas)
Artists and makers of all ages and skill levels residing in north-west Tasmania are invited to submit works for the Community Art exhibition, All in. at Devonport Regional Gallery (17 May to 13 July). The Gallery will be hosting workshops in the Creative Space on 16 and 23 April from 10am-12.30pm and 2-3.30pm for the community to work on their entries in a supportive, creative environment.
Entries close 29 April; learn more and enter.
Professional development
Exploring audio book production (Brimbank Writers & Readers Festival, Vic)
Join publishing and production experts from Bolinda audiobooks to discover what goes into producing your favourite audiobooks on CD from the library or from the BorrowBox app. Presented as part of the Brimbank Writers & Readers Festival (14-23 March).
Registrations are free; learn more and register.
Fresh Ink National Mentoring Program
The Australian Theatre for Young People’s Fresh Ink National Mentoring Program is back, this time to run in Brisbane (co-presented with Backbone), Hobart (co-presented with Archipelago Productions), Perth (co-presented with Black Swan State Theatre Company) and Sydney. In 2024, there will be four emerging writers for performance (aged 18-26) from each participating state. Throughout the year they will produce two short works for the stage, as well as attend regular meetings with their mentor to hone their skills and build their writing community.
Applications close 11 March; learn more and apply.
2024 Powerhouse Residency Program and Associates Program (NSW)
Powerhouse Residency Program provides NSW-based practitioners and organisations across the creative industries, science and technology sectors with subsidised workspaces at Powerhouse Ultimo. Now in its sixth year, the program supports practitioners across all stages of their careers by generating collaborations between residents, researchers and the museum’s curatorial, programming and learning teams. Powerhouse Associates Program enables practitioners across the creative industries, science and technology sectors to enrich their practice through collaboration across the Powerhouse. Selected Associates will be in residence over a 12-month period to develop and deliver a program or project that contributes to the renewal of the Powerhouse. Associates will have the opportunity to identify the focus of their program across Powerhouse sites including Parramatta, Ultimo, Castle Hill and the Sydney Observatory.
Applications for both programs close 15 March; learn more and apply.
Tanzmesse is the largest international professional gathering for contemporary dance and it will be taking place in Düsseldorf, Germany from 28-31 August 2024. Creative Australia will support a delegation to attend this event and will have a booth in the Exhibition Space. Creative Australia will support delegates based in Australia with $5000 and overseas-based Australian delegates with $2500 towards the cost of travel to attend Tanzmesse. Delegates are responsible for all costs associated with attending the event, including flights, visas, travel insurance, accommodation and registration.
Applications close 19 March; learn more and apply.
Performing Arts Market in Seoul
The Performing Arts Market in Seoul (PAMS) has been held in South Korea every October as a key Asian arts market for performing arts professionals domestically and internationally. Creative Australia will support delegates based in Australia with $3000 and overseas-based Australian delegates with $1500 towards the cost of travel to attend PAMS 2024. These delegates will be responsible for all costs associated with attending the event, including flights, visas, insurance, accommodation and registration.
Applications close 19 March; learn more and apply.
Applications are open for the 2024 NATSIMO RESONATE program, a three-day collaborative songwriting opportunity for mid-career and established Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander songwriter and producer APRA AMCOS members. Successful applicants will collaborate with Jarrad Wall (aka Boox Kid), Jada Weazel, dameeeela, miiesha, Jono Stier (aka Eskatology) and Chris Tamwoy. The international special guest is Noema Te Hau III from Aotearoa New Zealand. This instalment will take place at Brisbane’s 4000 Studios.
Applications close 29 March; learn more and apply.
2024 Australian Festival of Chamber Music International Masterclasses program (Qld)
Applications are now open for young and emerging musicians in ensembles from across the country to register for the Australian Festival of Chamber Music’s (AFCM) International Masterclasses Program, to be led by acclaimed music maker, clarinettist, chamber musician, collaborator and educator Lloyd Van’t Hoff in Townsville-Gurambilbarra, North Queensland. The program is held from 23 July to 2 August and offers students private and public masterclasses, coaching, mentoring and opportunities for public performances.
Applications close 14 April; learn more and apply.
Want more? Visit our Opportunities page for more open competitions, prizes, EOIs and call-outs.
This week’s winners
Visual arts
The ANAT Synapse residency program has announced the artists taking part in its 20th anniversary milestone to be Jennifer Kemarre Martiniello and Keith Armstrong. Martiniello will embark on the explorative project, The Stories Beneath My Ancestors’ Footprints, working with Professor Simon Haberle (The School of Culture, History and Languages, ANU). This collaboration focuses on creative research and practice to discover the paleoecological substrata of Martiniello’s Aboriginal and Chinese ancestors’ lands. Armstrong is a returning ANAT Synapse resident, this time presenting his multilayered project, Forest Art Intelligence (FAI). His project explores the integration of art and science in regenerating forests, aiming to develop “Art Intelligences” (AI) that grow symbiotically with the forest, actively benefiting its health. Armstrong will be working with a group of researchers from Samford Ecological Research Facility and Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network – Australia’s Land Ecosystem Observatory.
The Helpmann Academy has announced the winners of its Graduate Exhibition Award for 2024. PhD Research Candidate Max Callaghan took out the $10,000 cash prize for the Helpmann Academy/University of South Australian Postgraduate Award. The Helpmann Major Exhibition Award supported by IAS Fine Art Logistics and Linden New Art is valued at $10,000 and was awarded to Katey Smoker, a University of South Australia graduate. Smoker will receive a three-week exhibition at Linden New Art, valued at $4500, plus up to $3000 in IAS Fine Art Logistics services. In addition, Smoker is also the recipient of the Helpmann Academy/ACE Studio Program Award valued at $15,000. Other winners include Jess Harrison (Hill Smith Art Advisory Award), Katherine Shierlaw (Lang Family Foundation/McKee Award), Thao Le (City of Adelaide Award), Lauren Downton (a new prize, The Fetzer Award for Excellence), Tiarnie Edwards (JamFactory Ceramics Award) and more. Find the full list of winners. The Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition runs till 22 March at SASA Gallery, University of South Australia.
In its 20th year at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Exit Art showcases contemporary art and design from 2023 Northern Territory Year 12 students, presented in partnership with the Northern Territory Department of Education. Exit Art celebrates 41 talented finalists, selected from 12 schools from across the Northern Territory – including Darwin and Palmerston, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Nhulunbuy and Alice Springs. Sophie Laughton is the winner of Exit Art Minister’s Choice Award with Crown and Orange, a small dragon brought to life using clay. Category winners include Jorja Handebo (Art Educators of the Northern Territory Award), Jasper Mules (Tactile Arts Award), Raphael Abag (Darwin Visual Arts Award), Matt Watson (Art Teachers of Media NT Award) and Hao Li (MAGNT Foundation Award and Jacksons Drawing Supplies Award). Exit Art is on view at MAGNT until 2 June.
Performing arts
Whittled down from a pool of close to 1000 talented music artists, the dynamic group of creators named in the 2024 APRA Professional Development Awards (PDAs) have been announced by APRA AMCOS and NATSIMO (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Office). The 2024 PDAs showcase music creators in the early stage of their career, working across multiple disciples and backgrounds: from hard-of-hearing composer and sound artist Rebecca Bracewell, to Nairobi-born and Kenyan-raised singer, rapper and producer Elsy Wameyo; rising songwriter and producer Aidan Hogg; and queer award-winning musical comedy duo Mel & Sam. The PDAs offers $10,000 in cash and, for the second year, honour three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander songwriters across three categories. They are: proud Yorta Yorta, Djadja Wurrung, Kalkadoon and Yirendali woman Kaninna Langford (Miss Kaninna) for NATSIMO General, Amelia Thompson (THOM) for NATSIMO Youth and Tin Camp Studio’s Warren Mason for NATSIMO Senior PDA. View the full list of 2024 APRA PDAs winners.
Palawa playwright Dylan Van Den Berg has swept the Australian Writers’ Guild’s annual AWGIE Awards, taking home three prizes including the prestigious David Williamson Prize for Excellence in Writing for Australian Theatre for Whitefella Yella Tree. Griffin Theatre Company will receive $80,000 to develop and program a new work for the Australian stage, while in the Stage – Adapted category, Tom Holloway was acknowledged for his adaptation of the Stella Prize-winning The Museum of Modern Love, which premiered at Sydney Festival in 2022. Former David Williamson Prize winner, Alana Valentine won in Music Theatre for Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan alongside co-writer Christos Tsiolkas. The Richard Lane Award for Outstanding Service and Dedication to the Australian Writers’ Guild was given to Australian screenwriter Shane Brennan. View the full list of AWGIE winners.
Participants of Brisbane-based Metro Arts’ 2024 Creative Development program for performing artists have been announced. They include IMRSE, Company Bad and Friends, Joshua Taliani, Anna Whitaker, Jenni Large and Ashleigh Musk, Counterpilot, and Anna McGahan and Daniel Wilson. Find out more on the participants.
Composer Shauna Beesley has been announced as winner of the Willgoss Choral Composition Prize for 2024 with her work, Journey. Beesley says: ‘I am delighted and honoured to have been chosen as the recipient of this year’s Willgoss Choral Prize. Richard and Sue Willgoss, in establishing this award, have created an exciting opportunity for young singers to experience new music, and to have input in its premiere. I am grateful to them for supporting new choral works and facilitating this partnership between composers and singers. It is more exciting because of the calibre of the musicians in Corde. Choirs change our lives: they alter our body’s chemistry, in a positive way, both in participating and listening. For me, choral singing is one of the human race’s highest achievements and most intricate forms of collaboration. In this piece, I have put the vocal qualities of each part as an important consideration. As a professional singer, I try to write in a way that is challenging, but also respects the tessitura, the legato line and phrasing of each voice type.’ Beesley is a composer, singer, pianist, organist and choir director. She recently returned to Australia after spending years working in the UK, Syria and Switzerland.
All
The Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund has announced funding of $439,840 for 27 Australian organisations for projects in 2024. The grants support projects to benefit creative writers, publishers and visual artists. The Cultural Fund will also support nine national Australian writers’ festivals held in 2024 to fund panel sessions and interviews with Australian writers at each of the selected festivals, including Perth Festival Writers Weekend, Adelaide Writers’ Week, Blak & Bright First Nations Literary Festival 2024, Brisbane Writers Festival and Canberra Writers Festival. Awarded grants include funding to WestWords’ Writers in NSW Regional Schools project, for Guardian Australia to support more reviews of Australian books on a global platform and for Queensland Art Gallery to put on Judy Watson’s upcoming exhibition. View the full list of supported activities.
Shortlisted and finalists
The Lake Mac Awards has announced finalists for 2024 with a celebration of local champions. From pilots to mental health advocates and eco-warriors, the finalists range across sectors and professions. Finalists for the Lake Mac Artist and Creator Award include Scott Bevan, Wayde Clarke, Cybèle Coutet Craig, Outback Jess and Amy Vee. For the Lake Mac Creative and Performing Arts Leader they are Debbie Evans, Mathew Holland, Patricia O’Hearn, Stephanie de Sousa and Louise Wilkinson. Find the full list of finalists.
Check out previous Opportunities and Awards wraps for more announcements.
