NAS Scholarships and Residencies

Generously supported by a philanthropic donor in partnership with the National Art School, the NAS First Peoples Scholarship covers the full tuition fees for students entering the Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA) program.

The Scholarship aims to provide young, aspiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists the opportunity to pursue their studies under the guidance of some of Australia’s most accomplished artists.

Eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students entering the BFA are encouraged to apply.

Two full-tuition scholarships are offered each calendar year. Applications are taken on a rolling basis for Semester 1 intake, with offers made in January.

To apply:

• NAS First Peoples Scholarship Application form

Applications for 2023 are open. 

Please contact Head of First Peoples Programs John Waight for any queries: [email protected]

The National Art School (NAS) is now accepting applications for the 2023 Aboriginal Art Centre Internship program. Now in its eleventh year, this internship 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 2023.

In 2023 Internships will be offered with Ernabella Arts Incorporated in far north-west South Australia and Tapatjatjaka Arts located at Titjikala, Northern Territory. Recipients will be provided with transport to and from the art centre, accommodation, and stipend for the ten-week period of the internship.

Applications are open to students completing the Bachelor of Fine Art or Master of Fine Art programs in 2022.

Applications for the 2023 program have closed. 

Application and Information forms are available here:

AACI Internship Information
AACI Internship Application Form

The Mark Henry Cain Memorial Travel Scholarship supports a student to travel and study for a period of 6-8 weeks in the UK.
The scholarship is open to NAS students progressing from the Bachelor of Fine Art program to the Master of Fine Art program.

Mark Henry Cain Scholarship Application Form

Applications for 2023 have closed. 

The East Sydney Doctors Scholarship is a generous opportunity funded by East Sydney Doctors, providing $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 them as a stipend to support living and study expenses.

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

East Sydney Doctors Scholarship information and application form

Applications for 2023 have closed. 

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 in March 2023
• A three-month solo exhibition in 2024, in the Friends Gallery at the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre.

Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre Nancy Fairfax (AIR) Award Information and EOI form

Applications for 2023 have closed. 

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.

Lift Off Award Application Form

Applications for 2023 have closed. 

The National Art School is proud to have two generous scholarships of $20,000 each to support students studying in the Master of Fine Art Program. Funded by the Clitheroe Foundation and the Bird Holcomb Foundation, these scholarships are open to current Bachelor of Fine Art Students who are immediately applying to continue study at the School in the Master of Fine Art program. The scholarships can be used for fees and course costs or as a stipend to support living expenses for the two-year duration of the course.

Applications for the scholarships are made as part of the application to the Master of Fine Art program, and more information can be found below.

Click below to download information about each scholarship:

Bird Holcomb Foundation Info
Clitheroe Foundation Info

The Standish & Co Scholarship, a newly established opportunity generously funded by Standish & Co, provides $10,000 to a student continuing from the Bachelor of Fine Art Program into the Master of Fine Art program and majoring in Photomedia. The recipient is intended to use the funds as a stipend to support living and study expenses. The Scholarship also provides $5,000 of in-kind printing at Look Print over the two years of the MFA degree.

This scholarship is open to current Bachelor of Fine Art Students who are immediately applying to continue study at the School in the Master of Fine Art program in Photomedia 

Applications for 2023 have closed. 

Standish & Co Scholarship information

Established in 2016 by National Art School (NAS) Alumni Sarah Johnson, Make Your Mark is a drawing studio located in Brookvale on Sydney’s lower Northern Beaches.

The Make your Mark prize includes:

• Paid training and work experience as an after school/school holiday drawing teacher to children and young people aged 5-18.
• Additional $1,000 stipend.
• Up to 4 prizes awarded

Make your Mark Information and EOI Form

Applications are open to students in BFA 1, 2, and 3 in 2022.

Applications for 2023 have closed.