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This week’s opportunities
Awards and competitions
Nominations are open for the Music Victoria Awards 2024 to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of musicians, venues, festivals and industry professionals who contribute to the state’s music scene. Nominations for the Hall of Fame are also open to celebrate those who have made a significant contribution to the sector over 25 years or more.
Nominations close 19 July; learn more and nominate.
Ampersand Prize for Debut Children’s and Young Adult Novels
Created by Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing in 2012, the Ampersand Prize is awarded biennially to an extraordinary debut manuscript for children or young adults. The winning author will receive a publishing contract with an advance against royalties, and rigorous editorial development to bring their book to market.
Submissions close 31 July; learn more and submit.
International Awards for Art Criticism (IAAC 10) 2024
The 10th edition of the International Awards for Art Criticism is open to candidates from anywhere in the world writing in Chinese or English about any contemporary art exhibition held anywhere in the world or online between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2024. Candidates are invited to write a review of 1500 English words or 2500 Chinese characters on any exhibition of contemporary art. The First Prize will consist of a cash award of EUR€10,000 (AU$16,160) and three Second Prizes come with EUR€3500 (AU$5655). The international jury consists of Italian museum director and curator, Cristiana Collu; editor of Artforum China, Du Keke; freelance curator, art historian and writer, Gerardo Mosquera; Poland-based PhD candidate, art critic and curator Małgorzata Kaźmierczak; and You Mi, Professor of Art and Economies at the University of Kassel/documenta Institut.
Entries close 15 September; learn more and enter.
Celebrating 21 years of world poetry, Australian Book Review welcomes entries to the 2025 Peter Porter Poetry Prize, which is worth $10,000 and is open to all living poets writing in English. The winner will receive $6000, with the four other shortlisted poets receiving $1000 each. Entries must be an original and unpublished single-authored poem of not more than 60 lines.
Entries close 7 October; learn more and enter.
Call-outs
Creative Concept for City of Sydney New Year’s Eve
The City of Sydney is inviting expressions of interest for a new graphic design to brand Sydney New Year’s Eve. The visual identity should align with the event’s philosophy that it is a bold, colourful and exciting celebration that marks the end of one year and the beginning of another, filled with hope and opportunity. The City of Sydney will undertake a two-stage process to determine the successful visual identity and design consultant.
EOIs close 26 July; learn more and submit.
un Projects is an arts publisher based in Australia that aims to generate independent and critical discourse around contemporary art. With a focus on artists, writers and independent practice, un Projects publishes essays, artists’ work and reviews, in print and online. The Board oversees the strategic and creative direction, governance and financial stability of the organisation, and works closely with the General Manager to steer the organisation’s direction and critical engagement within the art sector locally and nationally. It is a voluntary Board.
EOIs close 28 July; learn more and apply.
SAM Spotlight and SAM Selects (Vic)
Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is calling for the Greater Shepparton community to be a part of its 2025 exhibition program for local creatives. SAM Spotlights is an annual paid solo exhibition opportunity for a local emerging artist, and SAM Selects accepts exhibition proposals from artists, curators, artist collectives and community groups to present an original creative project.
Applications close 1 August; learn more and apply.
ATYP Casting (NSW)
ATYP is holding auditions for an upcoming workshop and presentation of a new musical written by Vic Zerbst. This outrageously camp production is a satirical comedy musical about teenagers who just want to fall in love, but face a system that is desperate to police, politicise and discuss their identities. It’s a feel-good show about self-love, self-acceptance and self-belief. There are seven roles to fill for actors aged between 18 and 26, based in Sydney.
Submissions are now open with rehearsals commencing 26 August; learn more and submit.
Professional development
Design Tasmania offers an opportunity for Tasmanian designers and makers to expand their practice and forge new industry connections through the Tasmania Makes 24 development program. Participants will work with local industry partners and have their work showcased at Design Tasmania for three months, from February to April 2025. Selected work will also be curated into Design Tasmania’s presentation at Melbourne Design Fair 2025. Designers and makers from diverse backgrounds, career levels and disciplines are invited to submit their idea for a new product or prototype that extends their practice conceptually or materially, strengthens cultural practice, or addresses emerging markets or contemporary issues.
Applications close 15 July; learn more and apply via emailing Design Tasmania.
Elevating Connections, Healing Ourselves (ECHO) Program
ECHO is a First Nations women’s leadership program led by Karen Milward, a Yorta Yorta consultant, and Dr Kerry Arabena, Chair of Indigenous Health and Director of Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit at the University of Melbourne. First Nations women are significantly under-represented in senior leadership roles. They face systemic and structural barriers to leadership and recognition, including race-based discrimination and the ongoing effects of colonisation. ECHO enables women to identify these barriers and utilise their skills and connections to address them.
Applications close 27 July; 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
Mud Australia has awarded the 2024 Shelley Simpson Ceramic Prize to APY Adelaide Art Centre artist, Alfred Lowe. Lowe started making ceramics in early 2021 and now practises daily at the APY Studio Adelaide. His interest in fine arts is heavily influenced by his interest in politics and racial justice and how culture and identity are navigated and manifested in modern times. ‘Flat footed, strength at the core with a posture of defiance, my works explore identity, culture and connection to country. Bright, colourful and fun, I want them to hold a presence in a room. A presence that rejects expectations, ignores preconceptions and embraces a provocative sense of rebellion,’ says Lowe. Shelley Simpson, Creative Director and Founder of Mud Australia, says, ‘I have watched Alfred grow as an artist and his work is incredibly inspiring. After the referendum last year, I felt it would be remiss of me not to shine a light on Alfred’s work, as well as the talent coming out of the APY Studio in Adelaide.’ As part of the Prize, Lowe’s work will be on display across Mud Australia’s 12 retail stores globally, including London, New York, Los Angeles and Australia.
The Gold Coast’s longest running painting prize, The Doyles Art Award and Exhibition, has kicked off with winners of the $30,000 prize pool announced. Nick Offer took out the Landscape prize with Remains of the Control Room at The Space Tracking Centre, Orroral Valley and Trish Tait in the Figurative category for Staring down the barrel. The Still Life category winner was Bronwyn Searle for Golden Girls. Robyn Sweaney, Megan Woodfine and Kim Grivas took out second place in the three respective categories. In the junior competition, Lucas Sun, Charley Stewart and Maito Tanaka took out wins across the Primary, Middle and Senior age categories. The exhibition runs until 7 July at Firth Park Community Centre.
Adelaide-based artist Mark Valenzuela has been announced as recipient of the 2025 Porter Street Commission worth $20,000, presented by Adelaide Contemporary Experimental (ACE). The Commission is awarded to a South Australian artist at any stage of their career to create an ambitious new work to be presented as a solo exhibition at ACE in the following year. Valenzuela works between Australia and the Philippines, with a practice that examines themes of conflict, dominance, occupation and resistance. Through art, he reflects on his early experience growing up in army base camps throughout the southern Philippines. Valenzuela’s work weaves together elements of ceramics, painting, drawing, sculpture, video, assemblage and street art. The exhibition of 2024 recipient, Lee Salomone is currently on display at ACE until 10 August.
Eighty-nine First Nations-owned art centres, art fairs, regional hubs and industry service organisations will receive a share of over $21 million in funding through the Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program. It’s part of delivering Revive, the Australian national cultural policy’s first pillar, ‘First Nations First’. ‘We’re putting these words into practice by strengthening cultural infrastructure to support a thriving First Nations art industry and investing in the next generation of emerging artists and arts workers,’ says Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke. Recipients include Mirndiyan Gununa Aboriginal Corporation, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair and Arts Law Centre of Australia’s Artists in the Black program.
Performing arts
Conductor Ingrid Martin has been selected as one of 10 woman for the 2024-25 Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship Mentoring Program, aimed at promoting gender diversity within the field of conducting. Each year, the program selects a few outstanding candidates from a global pool of applicants, based on their exceptional skill, dedication and potential for a significant international career. As a Taki Alsop Mentoring Fellow, Martin will benefit from an intensive mentorship program that includes conducting opportunities, one-on-one coaching sessions and professional development workshops. Alongside the Taki Alsop Program, Martin is one of five conductors in the 2023-2024 Australian Conducting Academy and is the 2024 New Zealand Assistant Conductor in Residence. In 2024, she will work with the Auckland Philharmonia, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
All
Read: Creative Australia announces international program recipients
Creative Australia’s latest $16.4 million investment will support at least 380 creative projects across Australia through the arts project funding, the Contemporary Music Touring Program and Contemporary Touring Initiative. This includes a $450,000 boost from the Minister for the Arts, aimed at increasing youth participation in performing arts and theatre, and $777,000 from Music Australia. Highlighted projects include the Women in Music Tech Summit, Auslan Story Time Series, collaboration between Just Us Ensemble (JUTE) and Overall Arts Youth Theatre Company in Far North Queensland, Archie Roach Foundation’s Singing Our Futures, Art Monthly‘s Indigenous Voices Program, and more. Check out the full list of awarded grants.
Shortlisted and finalists
Read: Miles Franklin shortlist 2024
Check out previous Opportunities and Awards wraps for more announcements.
