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Entry FAQs

We thought we would share the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about entering the John Fries Award. If you have a question that isn’t answered here, please contact us and we will personally respond to your enquiry. Please check back here before making a new enquiry as we’ll add more answers to FAQs over time.

We ask that the applicant self-defines ‘early career’. The interpretation is up to you! However, it will be at the judges’ discretion to ultimately determine eligibility based on your artist’s CV.

No. You can be an ‘emerging’ or ‘early career’ artist at any age. All ages are welcome to apply.

Yes. All Australian and New Zealand citizens living abroad can enter.

Unfortunately no. You need to be a permanent resident of Australia or New Zealand to be eligible to enter.

No. The works you submit as part of your entry only need to be indicative of your art practice. If you are selected as a finalist, you may create new work for the John Fries Award Finalist Exhibition.

If you are selected as a finalist, in conversation with the curator you will decide which work to exhibit. The curator may suggest to create something new specifically for the John Fries Award Finalist Exhibition. This will be a closely collaborative process between the finalist and the curator.

If you are selected as a finalist, you will have approximately 8 months to create a new work.

No, the work does not have to fit within set dimensions. Finalists will work with the curator to establish what work will be included in the John Fries Award Finalist Exhibition.

Yes, artists working in any medium or style are encouraged to enter – from painting to performance, installation to photography, web-based to film.

You can find this deadline, and more, among the key dates listed here.

All finalists this year will be paid $1,000 in artist fees for participation.

Finalists will receive support from the Award to ship their works to UNSW Galleries for installation. The level of support will be determined on a needs basis and is at the curator’s discretion. Return freight is the responsibility of the finalist.

Copyright Agency advocates for artists’ copyright and provides services that ensure artists are fairly rewarded for the reproduction of their work, by issuing licences and collecting fees on its members’ behalf. In doing so, it aims to help build a more resilient creative economy where new artistic expression is valued and artists are acknowledged and financially rewarded for their work. Membership is free. Become a Visual Arts Member.