Postgraduate Scholarships and Opportunities

The Clitheroe Foundation has generously provided $20,000 to support students continuing in the Master of Fine Art program at the National Art School. The Scholarship provides $10,000 each to two students who are completing the first year of the MFA and progressing into their second year.

Recipients may use the Scholarship to support tuition fees and course-related costs, or as a stipend to assist with living expenses during the second year of their degree.

The Scholarship is open to students continuing their progress in the Master of Fine Art program at the National Art School.

Applications for the 2026 Scholarship open until Sunday 16 November 2025.

Please read the Application Guidelines before completing the Application Form.

For the 20th edition of TROPICAL LAB, taking place from 16 July to 31 July 2026, the National Art School will nominate one current Master of Fine Art student to participate in the program.

TROPICAL LAB is an international art camp hosted by LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore. Designed for art academies and institutes worldwide, it is a dynamic and immersive fourteen-day program that brings together over 20 student-artists from diverse institutions across the globe.

This intensive experience offers a unique platform for student-artists to research, experiment, and collaborate in the creation of contemporary artworks across all mediums, methods, and approaches. It is both a real and imaginative space for artistic exploration.

The selected participant will receive:

• Accommodation in Singapore
• Local travel and studio space
• $1000 AUD towards flights and transfers

The program includes field trips, talks, and seminars led by established international and Singaporean artists. It culminates in a curated exhibition presented by LASALLE’s curatorial division, the Institute of Contemporary Art Singapore.

Applications are open until Sunday 16 November 2025.

Please read the Application Guidelines before completing the Application Form.

The East Sydney Doctors Scholarship is generously funded by East Sydney Doctors. The Scholarship provides $5,000 to a student completing the first year of the Master of Fine Art degree and going into the second year of the program at the National Art School.

The recipient is intended to use the Scholarship as a stipend to support living and study expenses. The Scholarship is open to students continuing their progress in the Master of Fine Art program at the National Art School.

Applications for the 2026 Scholarship will open on Tuesday 7 October 2025 to Sunday 16 November 2025. 

Please read the Application Guidelines before completing the Application Form.

The Lift Off Award, generously funded by private donors, will provide $20,000 to a promising graduating MFA candidate from the National Art School.

The successful recipient will be eligible to use the funding to undertake an artist residency, international travel, to establish a studio, purchase specialised equipment, mount an exhibition, a publication or any project that requires a lift off to support their burgeoning art practice.

Applications for the 2026 Award will open on Tuesday 7 October 2025 to Sunday 16 November 2025. 

Please read the Application Guidelines before completing the Application Form.

The Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre boasts an on-site, live-in artist in residence studio called the Nancy Fairfax Artist in Residence Studio (AIR).

The AIR studio is generously supported by benefactor Mr Tim Fairfax AC and named in honour of his mother Nancy Fairfax, who was a great friend of Margaret Olley.

The AIR program includes:

• A $5000 stipend
• A two to four-week studio residency
• A three-month solo exhibition in the Friends Gallery at the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre.

Please note: The AIR Award is a biennial opportunity, with the next application period scheduled for October 2026. Eligible applicants include 2025 graduates and 2026 graduands.

The Aboriginal Art Centre Internship (AACI) program is made possible through the generous support of Sharon Toffler and Mark Tedeschi AM QC.

These internships provide graduating students with an opportunity to acquire practical arts management experience and training in an active Aboriginal community art centre environment. Working closely with the Art Centre Manager, interns will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working with artists and day-to-day arts centre operations. Successful applicants are expected to take up the internship in 2026.

Recipients will be provided with transport to and from the art centre, accommodation, and stipend for the ten-week period of the internship (usually held between June – October).

Applications will be open to students completing the Bachelor of Fine Art or Master of Fine Art programs in 2025.

Applications for the 2026 AACI program will open on Tuesday 7 October 2025 to Sunday 16 November 2025.

Please read the Application Guidelines before completing the Application Form.