Applications for the 2025 Vida Lahey Memorial Travelling Scholarship are now open.

Applications close 5.00pm Monday 13 January 2025.

Apply now →

Eligibility requirements

The terms of the scholarship have been set under Shirley Lahey’s Will.

The purpose of the scholarship is to support:

• Young or emerging Australian artists; and/or
• Young Australian art history students or graduates.

Applicants must be over 18 years, have recently undertaken visual arts studies or be art history graduates from a recognised tertiary institute and be Australian citizens or permanent residents. Applicants can be up to the age of 50 years, although emerging artists of any age are eligible.

Applicants must be able to

• Demonstrate a sound understanding of Australian art history or contemporary art practice.
• Show that a self-researched program of travel (in accordance with current Australian and Queensland Government travel advice) will further the development of their art practice or research.
• Show that their program of travel will make a contribution to an understanding of Australian art.

To apply, you must provide

• The names and contact details of two referees in a relevant field who may be contacted by the Gallery when assessing your application.
• A current CV (max. 2 pages).
• A detailed travel itinerary and budget for research to be conducted with scholarship funding (max. 3 pages).
• A personal statement specifically demonstrating how your travel itinerary and budget will further your practice or research and contribute to a broader understanding of Australian art (max. 1 page).
• The public URL of supporting material, in the form of one or a combination of the following formats: images (10 max.); video (10 minutes max.); writing samples (1500 words max.). Supporting material should be no larger than 200MB in total, saved on a shared drive such as Dropbox, Google Drive or YouSendlt. Ensure these are clearly titled. NB: Please contact the QAGOMA Foundation (details below) if you would like to provide supplementary material in another format or through another file-sharing platform.

The scholarship recipient is required to

• Expend monies received through the scholarship in the way outlined in the application unless prior written permission to make an alteration to the budget has been provided by the QAGOMA Foundation.
• Complete their travel within twelve (12) months of the announcement of the award.
• Provide an interim report within the first six (6) months of the announcement of the award. Guidelines will be provided electronically by the QAGOMA Foundation. Provide a detailed final report including proof of travel and full budget acquittal within two (2) months of completion. Guidelines will be provided electronically by the QAGOMA Foundation.
• Agree to acknowledge the support received through the Vida Lahey Memorial Travelling Scholarship in any media and publications resulting from projects undertaken during travel supported by scholarship funds.
• Agree to participate in media events and public programs, and contribute on media platforms relevant to the award.

The successful applicant will be asked to grant permission for their work to be reproduced in media, news and QAGOMA sites following the announcement of the winner they may also be asked to grant limited licence for reproduction of work resulting from projects undertaken during the scholarship for promotion of the Scholarship, of QAGOMA and/or the QAGOMA Foundation.

Applicants who are Queensland-based or who have resided in Queensland for an extended period of time are preferred. Scholarship monies will be paid to the successful applicant via bank transfer in Australian dollars. Successful scholarship recipients must have an Australian bank account with bank transfer facilities.

Claimable expenses

• All overland, sea and air travel tickets and associated costs
• Car rental and petrol
• Accommodation
• Travel insurance
• Living expenses, including meals: up to $100/day (maximum $500/week) - for incidental costs while travelling
• Artist and creative worker fees (NAVA payment standards)
• Research or art materials not exceeding $1000
• Childcare, carer and access costs
• Entry costs for museums, galleries, libraries, tertiary institutions or other places of art practice, research and/or learning
• Registrant fees for conferences or events relevant to your research of art practice and not constituting enrolment into courses of education

Non-claimable expenses

• Enrolment fees for courses of education
• Telephone and mobile data charges
• Personal items unrelated to research or art practice, such as clothing and souvenirs

Disclaimer

No person will be entitled to claim compensation for loss from the Board of Trustees for any matter in connection with the Vida Lahey Memorial Travelling Scholarship.

Outcomes of the judging process are final, and no discussion or correspondence will be entered into about final award decisions or the judging process.