Awards, Prizes and Opportunities – listed by closing date.

27 Feb – Sydney Film Festival Competition – This festival aims to develop and deliver a sustainable world class film festival, which engages all stakeholders and achieves critical acclaim by presenting a unique program that inspires, challenges, and entertains an increasingly broad and diverse audience.The 73rd Sydney Film Festival takes place 3 to 14 June 2026.

2 Mar  – Harden Art Prize National Acquisitive Prize For Landscape Paintings $15,000, an acquisitive landscape painting prize. Cityscapes and seascapes are acceptable within the broad definition of landscape.

3 Mar  – St Columba’s Art Prize – Showcasing the diverse creative voices from the Blue Mountains and across Australia, the St Columba’s Art Prize is accepting entries from established and emerging artists across a wide range of artistic practises.

4 Mar – 2026 Wingecarribee Prize for Landscape Art – Is sponsored by Wingecarribee Shire Council and Judged by Robyn Kinsela.

10 Mar  – 2026 Next Level Creative Mentorship Program – Has expanded to support writers, musicians, dancers, choreographers, actors, directors and/or producers with disability or who are d/Deaf from NSW, SA, NT and the ACT. Ten artists with disability working in the performing arts will be provided with $3000 in project funding and access to a mentorship within a leading performing arts organisation to develop an innovative new project.

13 Mar – Artbank Prize – a new pathway to a national collection. A national, open call to Australian artists who are not currently represented in the Artbank collection. One entry will be selected from each state and territory as a finalist to be exhibited at Artbank Sydney. One artwork will be awarded the Artbank Prize, which will be acquired into the Artbank collection, up to the value of AUD 20,000.00. 

13 Mar – Omnia Art Prize & Exhibition – offering Australian contemporary artists an exceptional opportunity to showcase their talent, sell their work, and be part of one of the country’s leading annual art prizes and exhibitions.

19 Mar – Remagine Art Prize – Hornsby Shire Council invites artists to respond to this year’s theme, ‘Built to Expire.’ Artists are invited to explore these issues and question why durability has been sacrificed for convenience, and how creativity can inspire change.

20 Mar –  First Nations Art Competition – Open to all First Nations Artists from children to adults in a range of categories.

20 Mar 2026 – National Works on Paper Prize (NWOP) is one of Australia’s most prestigious acquisitive awards. A biennial exhibition, its role is to support and promote contemporary Australian artists working on or with paper.

29 Mar  – Robert Foster National Metal Prize – This Prize celebrates outstanding work in the field of contemporary metal working by designers, designer/makers, and craftspeople both established and emerging. Recognising high-quality craft making skills, good design and innovation.

30 Mar  – Salon – EOI now open – SALON is Arts on Tour’s key annual industry event that builds relationships between NSW and ACT artists, producers and presenters, creating opportunities for touring and partnerships. Artists and producers can submit an EOI to pitch their work at the full-day event, and to be included in the Salon booklet, circulated to venues and presenters to assist them in finding new work.

31 Mar –  CREATIVE PATHWAYS SCHOLARSHIP with Bowral Art Gallery, opportunity for emerging Southern Highlands artists to develop their practice with financial support, mentorship, and a major exhibition opportunity at the Bowral Art Gallery.

open – Incentives for live music and performance venues – This program aims to encourage more live music, performance and other arts and cultural events and employment opportunities for musicians and performers.

open – Rusten House Galleries – Exhibition space is avalible for Artists to propose exhibitions in Queanbeyan

open  – QPRC Cultural Grants are open for the 2025-26 financial year – The Cultural Grants Program aims to assist local arts, artists, musicians, performers, writers and arts/cultural groups to start and develop their own projects, and to improve the community’s opportunities for involvement in cultural and arts activities. Applications are open throughout the year, or until funds have been exhausted.