The Guide: September 2025
This edition of The Guide is full of fresh opportunities and inspiring events to get you out and about this month.
For the writers and the poets, the Arts Queensland Poetry Awards are now open for entries with a host of prizes on offer.
Locally, two new mentoring programs are now open for expressions of interest; the Flying Arts Alliance’s Young Creatives Noosa program and the 2025 Mentoring Scholarship for women visual artists.
If you are keen for an out-of-town adventure, then the September festival season is for you! Explore large-scale installations at the SWELL Sculpture Festival (Gold Coast), celebrate diverse voices at the Undercover Artist Festival (Brisbane), or immerse yourself in the city-wide energy of Brisbane Festival (5-27 September).
Discover more at The Guide online, or keep on reading for our top picks below.
$184,000 Prize Pool for Regional Artists
Entries close 22 September
Flying Arts Alliance’s annual Regional Arts awards for emerging and established regional artists are now open for entries. With a prize pool of $184,500, the QRAAs are Australia’s largest regional art awards, celebrating reflection, innovation and legacy in visual art. This year’s theme, Momentum, highlights balance and forward movement. Finalists will be exhibited in Brisbane before touring statewide through 2026, with winners announced at the launch. Open to artists living outside the Brisbane City Council boundary, the QRAAs are an unmissable opportunity to gain national exposure and share in a significant prize pool.
Meet the Region’s Next Creative Leaders at R|7.0 Showcase
10 September
Support the next wave of creative leaders at the R|7.0 Showcase. Now in its seventh year, The Refinery’s creative business incubator has guided nine visionary practitioners to transform their ideas into sustainable, future-ready businesses. With acclaimed performer Naomi Price as MC, the evening features canapés, live music and a vibrant atmosphere at The Events Centre, Caloundra. Featuring this year’s cohort, Ro Clark, Spencer Davids, Mia Gimenez, Kerrie Harth, Georgia Haupt, Edde Masson, Mary McGilvray and Jenny Wynter and connect with the creative energy shaping our region.
Long Listen Festival: Brave. Bold, Brilliant.
3 - 6 October
Across four days, the Long Listen Festival returns to Palmwoods and Mapleton this October with 14 events, 56 artists and 11 genres of music. Highlights include Véronique Serret & William Barton, Ensemble Q, and a world premiere by Nicole Murphy. Closing night brings Blues on the Range with Hat Fitz & Cara at the Mapleton Public House. Expect chamber music, sound journeys, conversations, First Nations cultural immersions and more, all packed into an unforgettable four-day program. Festival passes and single tickets are now on sale.
AWARD
Queensland Premier’s Drama Award is one of Australia’s most prestigious playwriting awards. The winner receives $30,000, a full commission, and a world premiere production in Queensland Theatre’s 2027 season.
Applications close 1 October.
EXHIBITION EOI
The Condensery invites proposals for its historic bomb shelter exhibition space, suited to installation, video, sound or digital works. Built in the 1940s, the 24m² concrete space offers a unique setting for experimental practice. Entries close 22 September, 4pm.
FUNDING
Screen Queensland’s Short Film Fund offers grants of up to $50,000 to support emerging to mid-career Queensland filmmakers to produce short films. Designed to build credits and festival pathways, the fund supports scripted or factual works across all genres.
Applications close 19 September.
INTERNATIONAL RESIDENCY: Monash University, Prato, Italy
EOI: Logan Hospital façade artwork opportunity
FUNDING: Music Australia Export Development Fund
EOI: City of Casey public art opportunity
CREATIVE WRITING: Nillumbik Prize for Contemporary Writing
RESIDENCY: ON::VIEW Artist Residency
TALK
A future-facing conversation for filmmakers, creators and tech professionals, the Sunshine Coast Screen Collective presents Dave Gougé, Head of Marketing & Publicity at Wētā FX. Sharing insights on AI, visual effects and tech-driven storytelling. Tickets essential.
10 September.
EXHIBITION OPENING
Celebrate the opening of new group exhibition Yield, at Caboolture Regional Art Gallery. Exploring the legacies of early Australian agricultural practices. Join a conversation with the artists, followed by morning tea. RSVP
20 September.
MUSIC
Outside: Live Music Under the Stars is a sunset concert series at the foothills of the Conondale Range, featuring Electric Apes and Eddie Ray & the Band of Legends. Spend the day in nature, bushwalking, swimming, and dancing under the stars. BYO rugs, chairs, and eskies. Tickets essential. Kids free.
September 20.
DESIGN Coastal Creatives September Lunch
EXHIBITION OPENING: Distorted Mirror by Janine Fuller
EXHIBITION OPENING: Body Bold The Old Ambulance Station
EXHIBITION: Juan Ford - A survey
Image credits (from top): Image courtesy of Flying Arts Alliance, featuring Mervyn Moriarty, Wine Glass Cove; Image courtesy of SCCA; Image courtesy of Long Listen Festival; Image via Unsplash; Image courtesy of The Condensery; Image via Screen Queensland; Image courtesy of Sunshine Coast Screen Collective; Shivanjani Lal, ek story bathao (still), 2020. 5-channel digital video. Winner 15 Artists 2020, City of Moreton Bay Art Collection; Image courtesy of Kerbside.
The Guide is your essential source for information on opportunities, grants,
events, and professional development programs for creatives.
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