We have ten peer assessment panels: First Nations, arts and disability, community arts and cultural development, dance, experimental and emerging arts, literature, multi-art form, music, theatre and visual arts. The membership of these panels rotates, with peers selected from Creative Australia’s current pool of peer assessors in response to the grants being assessed. 

We engage with a wide range of peers including those from First Nations and/or culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, young people, d/Deaf and disabled artists, and people living in regional or remote Australia. 

If you are applying for a grant or opportunity, please read the information below to help you choose which panel should assess your application. If you would like help choosing which panel you should apply to, please contact us before applying.

How we assess applications

Assessment FAQ

First Nations

Only Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, groups, and organisations led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can submit applications to this panel. First Nations organisations must have a governing body that includes a majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Applicants work with all areas of artistic and cultural expression, including music, dance, visual arts, theatre, literature, experimental arts, and community arts and cultural development. 

All peer assessors on this panel identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. We aim for representation from every state, territory, and the Torres Strait on each panel. Peers have regional, national and/or international experience of one or more arts and cultural practices. They may have gained this experience as, for example, a practising artist, designer, curator, performer, writer, director, choreographer, community or cultural worker, academic, arts manager or leader. 

Arts and disability

Only people who identify as d/Deaf or with disability can submit applications to this panel. Applicants work across all areas of artistic practice, including music, dance, visual arts, theatre, literature, experimental arts, and community arts and cultural development. 

Creative Australia uses the social model of disability which distinguishes between impairment of the person, and the barriers in society that are disabling. These can include attitudes, discrimination, or the physical environment. This definition includes mental health – however, not all people who experience a mental health condition identify with disability. 

Peer assessors on this panel must have lived experience as a d/Deaf person or a person with disability. They will have experience across a variety of art forms and cultural practices. 

Community arts and cultural development

Community arts and cultural development is a collaborative process between artists and community whereby direct participation in art and culture is as important as the outcomes. 

Community arts and cultural development projects are community driven, inclusive, and participatory, employing many art forms for the purpose of social change and inclusion. Projects involve the creation of artwork with, for, and by the community. The development process is a primary objective of the initiative and involves the engagement of highly skilled arts and cultural experts to inform, lead and share skills. 

As a practice, community arts and cultural development has demonstrated its ability to have positive impacts on the health and wellbeing of communities, therefore it is vital for applicants to articulate their community context, evidence best practice in how they work with communities, and highlight how they will stimulate artistic innovation. 

Peer assessors on this panel need experience across a variety of art forms grounded in community engagement. 

Dance

Applications to the dance panel often encompass practices such as: contemporary, hybrid and technology-based work, improvisation, conceptual, experimental or narrative based, street dance, dance theatre, classical ballet, physical theatre, youth dance, screen-based work, and dance for specific communities including d/Deaf and disabled artists. 

It is not uncommon for works to be based on the body but for the movement and choreography to include inanimate or technological aspects – for example, screen, robotics or objects intersecting with or moving bodies. Contemporary dance practice can include work that is traditional or intersects with traditional practice whether that is Indigenous or from non-dominant cultures. 

Peer assessors on this panel have experience and knowledge of one or more of these dance practices. Peers gained this experience nationally and/or internationally as a dancer, choreographer, arts manager or leader, presenter, programmer, producer, tour coordinator or community worker. 

Experimental and emerging arts

Experimental and emerging arts practice is art that explores new ideas and sometimes technology. Experimental and emerging arts practice suggests an explicit desire to push the boundaries of art in terms of materials or techniques and structures, concepts and forms in the creation and experience of arts and culture.  

Work can be highly experimental within an existing arts practice, collaborative across several arts practices or involve collaborations with non-art disciplines and partnerships that explore research, science, technology, environment, or politics. 

Peer assessors on this panel have experience and knowledge of new and experimental practice across contemporary visual arts, sound and art music, digital media, socially engaged live art, contemporary performance, and art/science collaborations. They may have gained this experience nationally or internationally as an artist, performer, producer, curator, academic, arts manager or leader, or presenter. 

Literature

Literature covers a wide range of genres and experience including fiction, non-fiction, poetry (including spoken word), writing for performance, podcasts, programs and work for children (including illustration), graphic novels and literary magazines. Activities could include development, publication and distribution through the work of writers’ centres, festivals, residencies, writers’ collectives, reading programs, publishing, editing, and international market development including rights sales. 

Peer assessors on this panel have national or international experience of one or more of these areas. The Literature Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups panel receives a very high proportion of applications from individuals, so peers with their own writing practice are particularly important. 

Multi-arts

Applicants to the multi-art form panel work across a diverse range of arts practices. This might include dance, music, theatre, music theatre, visual arts, experimental practice, screen and digital work, literature, and community arts and cultural development. Applications from multi-art form festivals and presenters are common, as well as from artists working across more than one area of arts practice.   

Peer assessors on this panel have regional, national, or international experience and knowledge of more than one arts practice or interdisciplinary practices. They may be practising artists, producers, curators, programmers, tour managers, festival directors, arts managers or leaders. Peers with recent experience at regional or remote presenting venues, and producers with experience of regional and international touring across one or more arts practices, are particularly important. 

Music

Applicants to the music panel work across music, sound art and music industry projects. 

The type of activities supported can include composition, song writing, recording, live and virtual touring, festivals, international market development, professional development programs, residencies, mentorships, digital distribution and organisational activity. 

Peer assessors on this panel have national or international experience as practising musicians, composers, producers, artist managers or leaders, plus experience with record labels or with live production. 

This panel receives a high proportion of applications from individuals, groups, and small businesses, so peers in these fields are particularly important. The panel welcomes applications from under-represented music communities. 

Theatre

Australian theatre represents artists working across a number of performing arts genres: text-based theatre; devised theatre; verbatim theatre; contemporary inter-disciplinary performance and live art; participatory theatre; contemporary circus and physical theatre; visual theatre; puppetry; music theatre and cabaret; theatre by, for and with children and young people; as well as merging of any number of these genres. The notion of what theatre is in the twenty-first century is constantly evolving, and we remain open to what theatre could be or mean into the future. 

Peer assessors could have gained experience nationally or internationally as theatre makers, performers, playwrights, dramaturgs, designers, directors, programmers, producers, tour coordinators, company managers or artistic directors. 

Visual arts

Applicants to the visual arts panel cover a wide range of genres and experience including curating, art writing, interdisciplinary arts (e.g. installation, multi-media, experimental practice), craft and design (e.g. jewellery, ceramics, weaving), and visual arts (e.g. painting, sculpture, installation, video art). 

Peer assessors on the panel have national or international experience in one or more of these areas. Peers on a visual arts panel include artists, curators, writers, gallerists and academics.