Awards, Prizes and Opportunities – listed by closing date.

5 Jul 2025 – Helsinki International Artist Programme (HIAP)
This three-month residency offers $12,500 plus time and space for open-ended research and experimentation.

6 Jul 2025 – Lanyon Art Prize We invite ACT and regional artists to submit works of any medium that respond to Lanyon Homestead and its surrounds. Inspire
contemporary perspectives and explore the deeper stories of this historic place.

6 Jul 2025 – The Calleen Art Award is an annual acquisitive painting prize and exhibition. It presents the best of contemporary Australian painting in any style, theme or subject.

6 Jul 2025 – STILL: National Still Life Award is open to artists at all stages of their practice and working across all mediums, including but not limited to painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, video and installation

7 Jul 2025 – The Windmill Trust Scholarship supports artists in various career aspects, including independent artistic research or practice, professional development, exhibiting and presenting work in new ways. Financial support encompasses studio rental, materials or labour costs, framing, space rental, promotion, artists’ fees, freight, installation, and documentation. 

7 Jul 2025 – Emerging Playwright Commission Applications are open now for Canberra Youth Theatre’s Emerging Playwright Commission 2025. This nationwide commission offers $17,400 to an emerging playwright aged 16 – 35 to create a new, full-length work for performers aged 7 – 25. Two other finalists will also receive $1,500 each to support their writing practice. 

9 Jul 2025 – Strathnairn Arts Small Sculpture Prize This new award seeks to celebrate and highlight the creativity and innovation found in small-scale sculptural works by artists from across Australia.  The prize encourages a diverse range of artistic expression, with submissions open to artists of all levels—from emerging talents to established professionals. The SASS prize will be determined by a panel of appointed judges, who will review each entry before shortlisting 30 finalists. The same panel will then select the 1stPrize ($10,000) Highly Commended ($3,000) and Emerging Artist ($1,000).

Jul 11 2025 – State Library of NSW Artist in Residence Creative artists are invited to interpret or respond to the Library’s public and behind-the-scenes interior spaces or our collections.

17 Jul 2025 – Screen Australia – Online Production Special Initiatives: Digital Originals This program aims to support screen creatives currently under-represented in the sector, including people who identify as culturally and linguistically diverse, First Nations Australians, people with disability, female and gender diverse, LGBTIQ+ and those who are located in regional and remote areas. It is a joint initiative of Screen Australia, SBS and NITV, aimed at developing exciting and innovative online scripted series for SBS and NITV platforms.

18 Jul 2025 – Hawkesbury Art Prize This is a biennial prize held every odd year. First prize of $15,000 plus a two week at residency at Glenhuntly Estate in the Hawkesbury is awarded to the winning entry.

20 July 2025 – Carclew’s 2026 Fellowships Carclew Fellowships offer financial support to young emerging cultural and creative artists and arts workers

21 Jul 2025 – Wesley Michel Wright Prize is awarded for an original work of verse or poetry. Up to $5,230 is available and only one award will be offered from this amount. Award payments will be made as a single lump-sum.

25 Jul 2025  – Cité Internationale des Arts Paris Residency Program The Art Gallery of New South Wales offers a three-month tenancy in the Moya Dyring Studio or Dr Denise Hickey Memorial Studio to Australian visual artists and researchers in the visual arts.

30 Jul 2025 – MAC yapang Art Prize is a national, acquisitive art prize. This new Art Prize has a total prize pool of $40,000 and is open to artists from all disciplines across Australia, with artworks in any medium.  

31 July 2025 – Australian Folk Music Awards Nominations for the 2025 AFMAs (Australian Folk Music Awards) are now open

31 July 2025 – Australian of the Year Awards nominations are now open.

10 Aug 2025 – P𝖺𝖽𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗍𝗈𝗇 𝖠𝗋𝗍 𝖯𝗋𝗂𝗓𝖾 A $30,000 National Acquisitive Prize, now in its 22nd year for a painting inspired by the Australian Landscape

15 Aug 2025 – Portia Geach Memorial Award The S.H. Ervin Gallery is calling for entries for Australia’s most famed portraiture prize for women, the Portia Geach Memorial Award. Applicants must be a female Australian resident who is either Australian born, British born or a naturalised Australian.

18 Aug 2025 – Fellowship for Non-Fiction Writing
Supports an Australian author to create a significant new work of literary non-fiction.

1 Sep 2025 – NAISDA Dance College is Australia’s leading arts training organisation providing nationally accredited qualifications specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. Applications for 2026 are now open. We have a proud tradition of producing the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performers since 1976.

1 Sep 2025 – SF3 aka the SmartFone Flick Fest is one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious smartphone film festivals. We are an international festival open to filmmakers of all ages and abilities – from absolute beginners through to Oscar winners – from every corner of the world. All you need is a great idea and a phone or tablet.

23 Sep 2025 – A.M.E. Bale Travelling Scholarship and Art Prize is awarded to Australian artists who have demonstrated talent and achievement in traditional styles. This includes realist, figurative and representational styles.

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  now has limited availability in our 2025 exhibition calendar. However we have one gallery space available in July and Octobe