APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

The one-off Work of Art Regional Women’s Bursary is a gift from the cohort of women who participated in Regional Arts NSW’s 2023-24 Work of Art (WoA) project that supported regional women to grow their creative business. Through the generous donation of funds raised by an auction selling artwork and services by these women, the cohort has chosen to award this bursary to a woman in regional NSW with a creative practice.

The Work of Art program had a huge impact on the women involved. One participant said, “My experience with the Work of Art program was transformative. Connecting with other regional creatives and overcoming barriers to opportunity gave me the confidence to push my art practice further than I ever imagined.” The idea of the bursary came directly from these participants as an expression of their gratitude for the friendships they made in the program and shared understanding of the need for support for female artists in regional NSW.
    About the bursary
    • The bursay is to be offered to either an individual artist or an artist collective.
    • The bursary is for a female artist(s). 
    • The bursary recipient must reside in regional NSW.
    • The bursary will be provided as a grant of $5,000 (GST exclusive). 
    Eligibility

    Applicants must outline a plan, showing how the activities will further their creative career. There are no restrictions on what these activities can be.

    Examples of activity projects can include but are not limited to: 

    • Collaborations
    • Professional development
    • Creation of new work 
    • Assistance with costs of artistic practice

    The bursary recipient must identify as female and live in regional NSW, with this address being their primary residence

    The definition of regional for this bursary will be that the recipient lives in any of the council areas within the Regional Arts Network. This means any LGA in the geographical reach of one of the NSW regional arts development organisations (RADOs) regardless of whether that LGA is currently a financial contributor to the RADO. The bursary recipient must also have lived continuously in regional NSW for a minimum of 12 months.

    The project must be conducted any time between November 2025 and December 2026.

      Timeline

      Opening date: Wednesday 8 October 2025

      Closing date: Friday 31 October 2025 (before midnight)

      Assessment: November

      Announcement: Last week of November

      Project timeline: Activity to take place between 1 Dec 2025 – 31 Dec 2026

      Acquittal: 31 March 2027

        The Application Process

        To apply, fill out the online application form. The form will ask the following three main questions, with a maximum word limit of 300 words per answer:

        • Describe your creative practice
        • Describe your proposed project and its benefits
        • Provide your budget showing how you will spend the $5,000 grant

        Applicants must also provide:

        • A current ABN. If you do not currently have an ABN, they will need to fill out and provide a Statement By Supplier Form. 
        • A referee. A referee is any person who is within your field of practice and can attest to your body of work. 
        • Three (3) work samples. This can be uploaded in a Word, PDF, or MP3 document, or in video format via a website link. 
        Assessment Criteria and Process

        The applications will be scored on the following assessment criteria: 

        Quality or innovation of the proposed activity. 

        This can include evidence about the standard of the artwork in your project, the strength of the process you apply to the project, the calibre of the people you may be working with, the originality of what you produce, the bravery of trying new things or any other factor that influences the quality of your activity. 

        40% 

        Impact of the project 

        Your project should address a challenge, problem or an area that you have identified for growth and development. How will your project progress this and change something for the better?

        40% 

        Value for money of the proposed activity  

        The assessors will look at whether the budget is realistic and can be achieved. Is there unnecessary padding in the budget? Have you put in appropriate amounts that have been costed properly? If you have any other people working in the project, are you paying them properly (eg. See NAVA rates)?

        20% 

          The assessment panel will consist of three assessors: 

          • 1 member of the WoA program who is not applying for the bursary 
          • 1 mentor or presenter (or equivalent) from the WoA program 
          • 1 representative of a RADO 

          A staff member of RANSW will manage the process and convene the assessment panel meeting. 

            The bursary recipient will submit an acquittal by the end of March 2027. They will be encouraged to present this in a creative way that tells the story of their activity. 

            The images of the work created by the bursary recipient may be used to promote the Work of Art Regional Women’s Bursary. This may include but is not limited to publishing images of the work on our website, in annual reports, in promotional material, reports and case studies. 

            Regional Arts NSW will act as the administrators of the bursary on behalf of the women of Work of Art.