Deadline: 17-Aug-2025
The Ian Potter Creative Fellowships offer transformative support to outstanding early mid-career Australian creatives. In partnership with the Sidney Myer Fund, the Ian Potter Cultural Trust awards two fellowships annually to originating artists and cultural leaders across diverse arts disciplines.
Each fellowship provides an unrestricted, tax-free grant of $200,000 over two years, allowing recipients to focus on their creative practice without specific outcome requirements. Eligible nominees include Australian citizens or permanent residents who have practiced creatively for at least seven years but are not yet considered established veterans with over two decades of experience.
Nominations must come from third parties—self-nomination and family nominations are not allowed. The fellowships specifically exclude arts and cultural workers whose main practice is in education or therapy, such as music therapy.
Selection is based on two key criteria: outstanding talent and exceptional courage within the nominee’s creative work. This courage refers to artistic innovation, risk-taking, and redefining boundaries rather than overcoming personal hardships.
Applications are submitted via the Sidney Myer Fund Smarty Grants portal and follow the same process and criteria as the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowships. Applicants may submit up to five support items, including audio, visual files, support letters, and a CV no longer than two pages that clearly supports the nominee’s experience and artistic narrative.
Support letters count as one item each, and lengthy files will be shortened for review. Testimonials or peer reviews also count as one item. The total video and audio content must not exceed 20 minutes, and hyperlinks should use the password Fellowship25 if password protected. All materials should be clearly labeled, and a summary document with captions or passwords can be provided without counting toward the item limit.
For more information, visit The Ian Potter Cultural Trust.
