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Access Arts

achievement award

4 September – 7 November 2025

Pictured

Michael Russell, 2024 recipient

Pictured

Michael Russell, 2024 recipient

About the award

The 2025 Access Arts Achievement Award offers up to $10,000 in funding for Queensland artists with disability to create, develop, produce, present, exhibit or tour their work.

 

This award fosters artistic excellence, leadership and visibility. It supports d/Deaf and disabled artists to take creative risks, realise bold ideas, and reach new audiences.

 

Whether building on an existing work or bringing a new one to life, this is a rare opportunity to lead your own artistic vision.

 

The Access Arts Achievement Award is proudly sponsored by CPL – Choice, Passion, Life.

Important dates

Applications Open for Submission: 

FREE Online Grant-Writing Workshop:

Applications Close for Submission: 

Award Winner Announced: 

Thursday, 4 September 2025

Wednesday, 8 October 2025

Friday, 7 November 2025

Wednesday, 3 December 2025

Applications open for submission:

Thursday, 4 September 2025

Free online Grant-Writing Workshop:

Wednesday, 8 October 2025

Applications close for submission:

Friday, 7 November 2025

Award Winner announced: 

Wednesday, 3 December 2025

Projects may take place between:

1 January and 31 December 2026

HOW TO APPLY

Applications open

4 September – 7 November 2025

  1. Complete the online application form and upload your supporting material, including your budget.
    OR 
  2. Email your completed application form and materials to info@accessarts.org.au and CC tim.brown@accessarts.org.au, with “Access Arts Achievement Award 2025” in the subject line.

Applications Open in

Days
Hours

Application form

Download the application form as a word document below or apply online

OR

Application Guidelines

Download the application guidelines as a word document below

Budget Template

Download the budget template as a word or excel document below

ONLINE GRANT-WRITING WORKSHOP

Join us for a free one-hour online workshop designed to support artists with disability applying for the 2025 Access Arts Achievement Award.

Learn how to frame your project, meet selection criteria, and prepare strong support materials and a budget. Includes Q&A time.

This workshop is open to Queensland-based d/Deaf and disabled artists, arts workers and producers interested in applying for up to $10,000 in funding to create, develop, produce, exhibit or tour their work in 2026.

DETAILS:
Wednesday, 8 October
12:00PM - 1:00PM
ONLINE
2024 Access Arts Achievement Award Winner - Michael Russell. Michael is facing the camera with his arms crossed. He is wearing a colourful Hawaiian shirt and he is smiling at the camera. He is standing outside amongst a lush garden.

2024 winner

Michael Russell

Michael’s incredible journey includes over 20 years as a founding member and leader of the Brotherhood of the Wordless, a group of non-speaking writers and creatives. Through his leadership and facilitation of workshops, Michael has inspired countless individuals to explore and express their creativity.

The winning project, About a Boy, is a deeply moving multi-art form performance inspired by Michael’s poetry collection of the same name. This project will enable the script development of About a Boy in collaboration with dramaturg and playwright Ian Brown. Together, they will select and interpret poems from the collection to create a script that will be brought to life through a rehearsed reading featuring a group of performers.

2024 Access Arts Achievement Award Winner - Michael Russell. Michael is facing the camera with his arms crossed. He is wearing a colourful Hawaiian shirt and he is smiling at the camera. He is standing outside amongst a lush garden.
Donna Lawrence's artwork is etched on top of a pink watercolour background. The artwork is a self portrait of Donna who is smiling and looking off to the side.

2023 winner

Donna Lawrence

Donna Lawrence has been awarded the Access Arts Achievement Award for 2023, for her groundbreaking visual exhibit Light and Shade at the well-respected Belco Art Gallery, Canberra, in an exhibition that will coincide with Mental Health Week and BPD Awareness Week in 2024.   

Donna Lawrence's artwork is etched on top of a pink watercolour background. The artwork is a self portrait of Donna who is smiling and looking off to the side.

2023 Highly Commended

Isabel Stankiewicz

Isabel will use this award funding for the technical and accessible completion of her new work Necklace, which will premiere at the Anywhere Fringe in 2024. This will support Isabel to build a scalable touring product and expand the workshop program which supports the increased representation of disabled and non-disabled artists who aim to define their inclusive performance practices to achieve accessibility for the audience. 
Oliver is standing in front of a black background wearing blue glasses, an orange shirt and a colourful blazer. He is looking slightly off from the camera lens with a calm expression.

2022 winner

Oliver Hetherington-Page

Oliver Hetherington-Page has been awarded the Access Arts Achievement Award for 2022 for the creation of Santa Claus is Autistic, a new cabaret work that will have its premier season at Redlands Performing Arts Centre in 2023.

Oliver is standing in front of a black background wearing blue glasses, an orange shirt and a colourful blazer. He is looking slightly off from the camera lens with a calm expression.

Past recipients of the Access Arts Achievement Award

Click on any of the names below to learn more about the artist and their achievements:

2024 Access Arts Achievement Award Winner - Michael Russell. Michael is facing the camera with his arms crossed. He is wearing a colourful Hawaiian shirt and he is smiling at the camera.

Michael Russell

Donna Lawrence's artwork is etched on top of a pink watercolour background. The artwork is a self portrait of Donna who is smiling and looking off to the side.

DONNA LAWRENCE

Oliver is standing in front of a black background wearing blue glasses, an orange shirt and a colourful blazer. He is looking slightly off from the camera lens with a calm expression.

OLIVER HETHERINGTON-PAGE

Person in green dress crouching under brick bridge

KAREN LEE ROBERTS

A photo of Alexandra whom is wearing a black and orange patterned shirt with her mid-length brown hair out. She is sitting on a couch and smiling widely at the camera.

ALEXANDRA ELLEN

Lauren seated in her wheelchair wearing an orange dress and smiling. On either side of her are Tim Brown and Pat Swell from Access Arts

LAUREN WATSON