Fellowships
Key dates
Applications close: Tuesday 2 June 2026, 3pm AEST
Notification date: You will be notified of the outcome of your application within 12 weeks of the closing date.
Amount
Grants of $80,000 only are available.
Contact
If you need help with your application, contact Artists Services:
Phone: 02 9215 9000
Toll Free: 1800 226 912
NRS: 1800 555 677 | Visit the NRS
Email: enquiries@creative.gov.au
Or use webform: Contact us
Please note: Are you registering to use our Application Management System for the first time? Make sure you register well before the closing date. It can take up to two business days to process your registration.
About the program
Creative Australia Fellowships of $80,000 support outstanding, established artists’ and arts workers’ activity and professional development for a period of one to two years.
Fellowships are offered in the areas of: Arts and Disability; Community Arts and Cultural Development; Dance; Emerging and Experimental Arts; First Nations; Literature; Music; Theatre; Visual Arts.
If you are successful, the payments will be made in two tranches: $75,000 on acceptance of the funding contract, and $5,000 on acquittal.
Access
All Creative Australia grants information including guidelines and application forms are available in accessible formats upon request.
Formats include word documents, audio CD, Braille, Easy English, Auslan and large print. Please note that requests for translated materials may take up to six weeks.
We accept applications for all our programs in accessible formats. Formats include Auslan, audio, video, printed, dictated, electronic and handwritten formats.
Contact Artists Services to discuss your specific requirements.
- email: enquiries@creative.gov.au.
- telephone: +61 (0)2 9215 9000 or Toll Free 1800 226 912.
- NRS: 1800 555 677 | Visit the NRS.
- Or use webform: Contact us.
Easy EnglishEasy English uses text and images to share information simply for people who find it hard to read English. Download the Easy English Guide as a PDF. |
Eligibility
Who can apply
Only individuals may apply to this category. You must be an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident, and a practicing artist or arts worker.
Applications for the First Nations Fellowship must come from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals.
Applications for the Arts and Disability Fellowship must come from artists and arts workers who are d/Deaf and/or with disability.
Please note: You can only submit one application to this closing date of Fellowships.
Who can’t apply
You can’t apply for a Fellowship if:
- you have an overdue grant report
- you owe money to Creative Australia
- you are applying as a group or organisation
- you received an Australia Council/Creative Australia Fellowship awarded by any panel, board or committee of the Australia Council/Creative Australia since 1996 (excludes Creative Australia Fellowships for Early Career Artists 2012-16, Creative Australia Fellowships for Established Artists 2012-16, and Music Project Fellowships 2007-2014).
What you can apply for
You can apply for a range of different activity over the Fellowship period. Some examples of the activities we fund are:
- the creation of new work
- research and development
- experimentation
- collaborations
- skills development
- professional development and training
- residencies
- mentorships.
Access costs are legitimate expenses and may be included in your application. We encourage applicants to ensure that their work is accessible to everyone. Budgets may include costs associated with making activities accessible to a wide range of people (e.g. performances using Auslan, translation to other languages, captioning, audio description, temporary building adjustments, and materials in other formats).
If you are a d/Deaf applicant, an applicant with disability, or are working with d/Deaf artists or artists with disability, you may apply for access costs associated with the use of an interpreter, translation services, specific technical equipment, carer or support worker assistance. Please contact Artists Services to discuss your specific needs.
What you cannot apply for
You cannot apply for:
- projects or activities that do not involve or benefit Australian practicing artists or arts workers
- projects or activities that do not have a clearly defined arts component
- projects that have already taken place
- activities engaging with First Nations content, artists and communities that do not adhere to the Creative Australia First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property Protocols.
Protocols
Your application must comply with the following protocols. We may contact you to request further information during the assessment process, or if successful, as a condition of your funding.
- Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts. All applications involving First Nations artists, communities or subject matter must adhere to these Protocols, provide evidence of this in their application and support material. More information on the First Nations Protocols is available here.
- Commonwealth Child Safe Framework. All successful applicants are required to comply with all Australian law relating to employing or engaging people who work or volunteer with children, including working with children checks and mandatory reporting.
Assessment panels
Applications will be assessed by panels of industry advisors, with final decisions approved by the Board of Creative Australia.
You must choose which peer assessment panel you wish to apply to assess your application.
- Arts and Disability
- Community Arts and Cultural Development
- Dance
- Emerging and Experimental Arts
- First Nations
- Literature
- Music
- Theatre
- Visual Arts.
Learn more about our assessment panels.
If you are unsure which assessment panel to choose, contact Artists Services.
Learn more about how we assess your application.
Assessment criteria
Industry advisors will assess your application against the following criteria.
Under each criterion are bullet points indicating what the industry advisors may consider. You do not need to respond to every bullet point listed.
Quality
Industry advisors will assess the depth of experience of the artist or arts worker and the significance of their professional achievement, given the context and field they work in.
They may consider:
- the quality and diversity of activities you have previously delivered
- the significance of your career and body of work
- the regional, national or international response to work previously produced.
Viability
Industry advisors will assess the viability of your proposal, including appropriate planning; wellbeing of personnel; protocols; evaluation and/or budget.
They may consider:
- relevance and timeliness of the proposed activity
- skills and ability of artists, arts workers, collaborators, or participants involved, and relevance to activity
- realistic and achievable planning and resource use, including, where relevant, contingency plans, health and safety plans, and evidence that you have considered the well-being of people involved in the project
- the timetable of activity
- evidence of appropriate consultation with participants, audiences or communities
- appropriate payments to participating artists, arts workers, collaborators, participants, or cultural consultants
- where relevant, evidence that the Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts have been adhered to
- where relevant, evidence that you have considered and addressed any access issues associated with your project
- where relevant, evidence of an environmental impact plan which may include cost-benefits.
Impact
Industry advisors will assess the impact that the Fellowship will have on you and your sector.
They may consider:
- how the proposed activity strengthens your practice
- the impact the proposed activity will have on your career
- how the proposed activity will be documented, presented or shared with your sector
- how the proposed activity builds or develops national or international collaborations
- how the proposed activity contributes to diverse practice in your field.
Application form
The types of questions we ask in the application form include:
- a title for your Fellowship
- a summary of your Fellowship
- a brief bio
- an outline of three key achievements or career highlights
- an outline of your Fellowship and what you want to do
- a timetable of activity for your Fellowship
- an outline of how the Fellowship activity will impact your career and have broader impact
- supporting material as relevant to your project, including examples of your work, bios of additional artists, and letters of support or permission from participants, communities, First Nations organisations, or Elders.
Support material
You should submit support material with your application. The advisors may review this support material to help them gain a better sense of your project.
We do not normally accept application-related support material submitted via post. However, if you think you will have difficulty submitting your support material online, or need advice on what type of material to submit, please contact Artists Services for advice well before the closing date.
There are three types of support material you may submit:
1. Artistic support material
This should include relevant, recent examples of your artistic or cultural work.
Types of support material we accept
Our preferred method of receiving support material is via URLs (weblinks).
You can provide up to three URLs (weblinks) that link to content that is relevant to your proposal. This may include video, audio, images, or written material.
These URLs can include a total of:
- 10 minutes of video and/or audio recording
- 10 images
- 10 pages of written material (for example, excerpts of literary writing).
Please note: advisors will not access any URLs that require them to log in or sign up to a platform. Please do not provide links to Spotify or other applications that require users to log in or pay for access.
If you are linking to media files that are private or password protected like Vimeo, please provide the password in the password field on the application form.
Other accepted file formats
If you cannot supply support material via URLs, you may upload support material to your application in the following formats:
- video (MP4 and Windows Media)
- audio (MP3 and Windows Media)
- images (JPEG and PowerPoint)
- written material (Word and PDF).
2. Biographies and CVs
You can include a brief bio or curriculum vitae (CV) for key artists, personnel or other collaborators involved in your project.
Brief bios or CV information should be presented as a single document no longer than two A4 pages in total.
3. Letters of support
Individuals, groups or organisations can write letters in support of your project. A support letter should explain how the project or activity will benefit you, other artists or arts professionals, participants or the broader community. It can also outline the support or involvement of key project partners, or evidence of consultation.
If relevant to your activity, letters of support must provide evidence of appropriate permissions and support from First Nations organisations, communities, and Elders. Please refer to the First Nations Protocols for more information.
You can include up to five letters of support, with each letter not exceeding one A4 page.
Learn more about support material here: Support material.
2025 recipients
Robert Andrew
Lior Attar
Isobelle Carmody
Samara Hersch
Victoria Hunt
L-FRESH The LION
Ash McGregor
Jennifer Mills
Fiona Murphy
April Phillips
Thelma Plum
Daen John Sansbury-Smith
Maurial Spearim
Dan Sultan
Aseel Tayah
Emily Wurramara
