The Marten Bequest Scholarships offer talented young artists the chance to explore, study and develop their artistic gifts through travelling either interstate and/or overseas.
The scholarships provide financial support under the categories acting, architecture, ballet, instrumental music, painting, poetry, prose, sculpture and singing to help talented Australian artists achieve their dreams.
Scholarships are each worth $50,000, payable in quarterly instalments over two years.
John Chisholm Marten (1908 – 1966) was born in Kent, England and moved to Australia at a young age, residing in Sydney for his adult life. John Marten was a theatrical artist and well known for his appreciation and support of the arts community.
John was actively involved in many different art forms. He was trained in Spanish dancing and served in the merchant navy during the war. John also co-authored The Bali Ballet Murders with Cornelius Conyn, which was published in Australia, London and also translated into Dutch and published in the Netherlands. (This novel can be found at the Mitchell Library A823/C768/IAI)
A strong advocate for the artistic capabilities of young Australians, John understood the costs involved in study and training programs and established The Marten Bequest through a charitable trust.
The scholarships are administered by the Australia Council on behalf of Perpetual as trustee.
Who can apply
Individual artists who are:
- Australian citizens
- aged 21 – 35 (17 – 35 for ballet) at the closing date.
These are terms established by The Marten Bequest and there are no exceptions to this requirement.
Applications close Tuesday 7 February 2023, 3pm AEDT (or earlier if application limit is met)
Image: Brayden Callucci – previous recipient of the Marten Bequest Scholarship for ballet