2019 Australia Council Awards

Nominations closed.

The Australia Council Awards acknowledge the contribution that Australian artists have made to the arts and cultural life of the nation. 

The closing date for nominations is Tuesday 2 October 2018.

These prestigious national awards recognise outstanding and sustained contributions by Australian artists in music, literature, community arts and cultural development (CACD), emerging and experimental arts, visual arts, theatre, and dance. They are awarded by the Board of the Australia Council, informed by key industry advisors. The Australia Council will announce the Awards to eight distinguished Australian artists in March 2019.

Past recipients include some of our most eminent artists. The 2018 Australia Council Award recipients are:

•  Bruce Pascoe (VIC) – Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature
•  Liza Lim (VIC) – Don Banks Music Award
•  Phillip Adams (VIC) – Australia Council Dance Award
•  Nigel Helyer (WA) – Australia Council Emerging & Experimental Arts Award
•  Pat Brassington (TAS) – Australia Council Visual Arts Award
•  Liz Jones AO (VIC) – Australia Council Theatre Award
•  Christian (Bong) Ramilo (NT) – Ros Bower CACD Award
•  Edwin Kemp Attrill (SA) – Kirk Robson CACD Award.

The Australia Council is committed to supporting the artistic and cultural ambition embodied by this diverse and impressive group.

ABOUT THE AWARDS 

Nominators must:

-  complete the nomination form

-  provide a CV for the nominee (max of 2 x A4 pages)

Nominators may

-  provide a maximum of two letters of support for the nomination

All nominations must be made by third parties.

The Awards’ value

Recipients of an Australia Council Award will be awarded $25,000

The recipient of the Kirk Robson Award will be awarded $10,000

Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature acknowledges the achievements of eminent literary writers who have made an outstanding and sustained contribution to Australian literature. 

Australia Council Don Banks Music Award is named in honour of Don Banks, a composer, performer and the first Chair of the Music Board. The Award acknowledges the achievements of a distinguished artist who has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to music in Australia. 

Australia Council Visual Arts Award acknowledges the achievements of an artist who has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to Australian visual art. 

Australia Council Award for Emerging and Experimental Arts acknowledges the achievements of an artist who has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to the practice of emerging and experimental art.

Australia Council Award for Dance acknowledges the achievements of an artist who has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to Australian dance.

Australia Council Award for Theatre acknowledges the achievements of an artist who has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to Australian theatre.

Ros Bower Award, is named in honour of Ros Bower, a journalist, television producer, community arts pioneer and founding Director of Council’s first Community Arts Board. The Award acknowledges the achievements of an artist or arts worker who has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to community arts and cultural development. 

Kirk Robson Award recognises a young artist or arts worker demonstrating outstanding leadership in community arts and cultural development (CACD).  The award was established in honour of Kirk Robson who tragically died in a car crash in 2005. Kirk received the Council’s Young and Emerging Artists Initiative and was the Artistic Director of The Torch Project.

To submit your nomination, click the button below and sign in to your Australia Council account (if you do not already have one, please register for a new account). Once signed in, click on Grants & Grant Reporting and select Award Nomination from the drop-down menu.

Mavis and Peter Robson, Lee-Ann Tjunypa Buckskin, Bruce Pascoe, Wenona Byrne, Edwin Kemp Attrill, Senator Mitch Fifield, Liza Lim, Paul Mason, Pat Brassington, Liz Jones AO, Jeremy Smith, Laura McLeod, Annette Madden, Adrian Burnett, Christian (Bong) Ramilo, Phillip Adams, Nigel Helyer, Rupert Myer AO