Currently 4 active open calls open to applicants in Australia, across AI, arts, film, journalism, research, tech and cross-disciplinary practice. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Almost every entry is funded; a few notable unpaid open calls and festival submissions are included as clearly flagged exceptions. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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Creative Australia's principal open-round project grant for arts organisations and the most directly relevant Australian scheme for mounting festivals, exhibitions and public programmes. The guidelines explicitly list festivals, productions, exhibitions, performances, touring, publishing, recording, collaborations, research and community engagement as supported activity. Organisations may propose either a single project or an entire programme of projects, which can extend to a full artistic programme for a given calendar year or longer, so this can function as de facto annual programme funding. The category is artform-agnostic and routinely supports media arts, digital culture, experimental sound and art-and-science work; activity delivered online is explicitly permitted. NOTABLE: international organisations are eligible where the project demonstrably benefits practising Australian artists, their work, or Australian audiences, so a non-Australian festival can apply if it is programming Australian artists. The applicant must be a legally constituted entity: incorporated association, company limited by guarantee, or government statutory authority. Registration in the Application Management System must be completed at least one business day before the closing date. The round closes 1 September 2026 at 3pm AEST.
Creative New Zealand's International Engagement Fund pays for New Zealand artists, practitioners and arts organisations to take part in international opportunities: touring, showcasing, presenting, exhibiting, collaborating and being seen by overseas presenters. Eligible costs are international travel and freight, marketing and promotion, and the travel, accommodation and hosting costs of getting international presenters in front of New Zealand work off-shore. Up to NZ$25,000 per application. ELIGIBILITY: New Zealand citizens or permanent residents, and New Zealand-based arts organisations and groups, who have a current international strategy and are internationally ready. International presenters and cultural agencies can also apply for a confirmed opportunity involving New Zealand artists, and for requests over NZ$5,000 must contribute towards the costs themselves. For any request over NZ$5,000 the applicant must already hold an offer or invitation to take part; smaller requests are looser. PROCESS: submit an expression of interest first (applicant details, an eligibility check and declaration, and an outline of the international opportunity), then complete a full application if invited. Two rounds in 2026/27, both opened 17 August 2026: Round 1 closes 1.00pm NZ time on 10 September 2026 with results by 5 November 2026, Round 2 closes 1.00pm NZ time on 3 December 2026 with results by 28 January 2027. Requests up to NZ$5,000 may be decided sooner. Apply through the Creative New Zealand portal. No application fee.
Project 100, an artist-run contemporary gallery and project space in Whakatu Nelson, is programming its 2027 exhibition residencies in two streams. RECENT GRADUATES EXHIBITION RESIDENCY (May 2027): open to artists who graduated from a tertiary arts programme within the past two years, preferably from a New Zealand institution, and who can independently realise an exhibition or public programme off a strong conceptual proposal. CURATORS EXHIBITION RESIDENCY (November 2027): open to emerging and established curators, independent practitioners and collectives based in Aotearoa New Zealand; previous curatorial experience is welcomed but not essential. Solo and collaborative projects are both welcome. WHAT YOU GET: exclusive use of the gallery for one month, one month of accommodation in a central-city apartment, administrative and promotional support, up to four hours of technician support, and a travel and food stipend of up to NZ$1,000. The gallery takes no commission on sales. WHAT YOU BRING: residents run the gallery themselves, keep it open during opening hours, must be based in Whakatu Nelson for the month, and return the space to its original condition. Note this is an exhibition residency for presenting an exhibition or public programme, not a studio residency for developing new work, though some practices can work from the gallery during the exhibition. A refundable NZ$400 exhibition bond is paid once you are selected and returned after the exhibition. DEADLINE CONFLICT, CHECK BEFORE APPLYING: Project 100's own application guide (the updated curators and grads residency PDF linked from its proposals page) states applications close 31 August, while the open-call listings carrying this residency state 14 September 2026 at midnight. Email Project 100 to confirm which applies before assuming the call is still open. Apply via the form on the Project 100 proposals page.
Queer Screen's Mardi Gras Film Festival in Sydney is one of the largest queer film festivals in the world. Submissions reopened in July 2026 via FilmFreeway; the final deadline is historically mid-October (around 15 October 2026, unconfirmed). Audience awards; modest submission fees.