Kate Challis RAKA Award
The Kate Challis RAKA Award supports Indigenous creative artists. In 2023, the award supports a visual artist who has held an exhibition in the last five years.
Applications open
17 Apr 2023
Last day for applications
26 Jun 2023
Learn more
Last day for applications
This is the last day on which applications will be accepted. Though conditions vary, we recommend submission by 5pm AEST to avoid disappointment.
Application type
Application required
How to apply
Benefit type
Single payment
Full benefit details
Citizenship requirements
Australian / domestic student
Total value
up to $20,000
Applicable study areas
All study areas
Number of scholarships awarded
1
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"As an Aboriginal author, I understand the enormous importance and influence of the Kate Challis (RAKA) Award. I believe it is the most prestigious national and international benchmark for the promotion of excellence in Aboriginal art. This is the reason that I feel both extremely humble and proud that my work was chosen this year for literature, and to know that my work can stand beside those of our most talented and highly recognised artists."
- Alexis Wright
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Eligibility & selection criteria
Eligibility
To be eligible for this scholarship, you must:
- have held an exhibition in the last five years, 2018 - 2023; and,
- be an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
Selection criteria
The award supports a visual artist who has held an exhibition in the last five years.
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Application process
Eligible applicants must complete an online application, including:
- exhibition information and up to ten electronic copies of exhibited work/s; options for how to submit the work will be supplied during the application process;
- a 500-word artist statement outlining current creative practices and development over the past five years;
- a two-page resume; and,
- any other information to support the application that may assist the committee in making its decision.
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Variations of this award
The award follows a five-year cycle with a different area of the arts supported each year – creative prose, drama, the visual arts, plays and poetry.
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About the donor
Professor Emeritius Bernard Smith
This award for Indigenous creative artists has been made available through the generosity of Professor Emeritus Bernard Smith, eminent art and cultural historian. The award was established to honour the memory of his late wife, Kate Challis, who was known in her youth as Ruth Adeney (RAKA is an acronym for the Ruth Adeney Koori Award).
In the Pintupi language, 'raka' means 'five' and in the Warlpiri 'rdaka' means 'hand', and both meanings are particularly apt for an award to be awarded in a cycle of five years to individual artists – novelists, poets, script writers, visual artists and playwrights – whose 'hands' are the basic means of creativity.
What are the benefits?
A single payment of up to $20,000.
The recipient is required to:
- accept the award online within 21 days; and,
- acknowledge the Faculty of Arts and the name of the award in any promotional material produced as a result of the award money and where possible, assist the Faculty of Arts in promoting the award.
A full list of past winners can be found here.
ENQUIRIES
Get more on scholarships and other information to help you succeed at the University of Melbourne.
For complete listings of faculty-specific scholarships, please see individual faculty websites.
The information listed here is subject to change without notice. Where we have listed information about jointly run scholarships programs, please also see our partners' websites. Information describing the number and value of scholarships awarded is indicative.