The Albert Coates Memorial Scholarships are awarded by the Albert Coates Memorial Trust to students who are able to achieve academic excellence whilst overcoming challenging circumstances. The Jim Pryor/Ballaarat Club Visual Arts Award is the component of the Albert Coates Memorial Scholarships that is available to visual arts students. You may be part-time or full-time, and you must have successfully completed first year and be enrolled in the second year.

Timing: End of semester 2
Frequency: Annual
Value: $2500
Eligible discipline: Visual arts
Eligible year level: 2

Additional requirements: Applicants must first register for KickStart, then complete the online application form for this scholarship.

This scholarship is available to students enrolled on a full-time basis in the Diploma of Graphic Design who intend to continue onto the Bachelor of Communication Design. The selection panel comprises of: Deputy Head, School of Art, Humanities and Social Sciences, Director, Arts Academy and GCAD, Teacher - Diploma of Graphic Design, Lecturer - Bachelor of Communication Design. Sponsored by Federation University Australia.

Timing: End of semester 2
Frequency: Annual
Value: $2000
Eligible discipline: Diploma of Graphic Design
Eligible year level: Diploma student

Additional requirements: Applicants must first register for KickStart, then complete the online application form for this scholarship.

This award is available to a final-year Bachelor of Visual Art or Bachelor of Communication Design student based on academic excellence, folio submission, formal application and selection process. The selection panel comprises of: Deputy Head, School of Art, Humanities and Social Sciences, Director, Arts Academy and GCAD, Visual Art and Design Program Leader and external expert (Director of the Art Gallery of Ballarat). Sponsored by the Arts Academy.

Timing: End of semester 2
Frequency: Annual
Value: $5000
Eligible discipline: Visual art/Communication design
Eligible year level: 3
Additional requirements: Applicants must complete a formal application and selection process.

This award is available to an honours or final year visual art student who has displayed an exceptional commitment to their studies and shows potential in developing and extending their professional art practice in the future. The selection panel comprises of: Deputy Head, School of Art, Humanities and Social Sciences, Director, Arts Academy and GCAD, Visual Art and Design Program Leader, Honours Program Leader and nominee of the Twomey family. Sponsored by the Twomey family in memory of Cheryl Twomey, who died whilst completing her honours year.

Timing: End of semester 2
Frequency: Annual
Value: $2500
Eligible discipline: Visual art/communication design honours or mature-age student
Eligible year level: Honours or mature-age student

DVC Art Acquisition Award – 2D

This award is available to all graduating Arts Academy visual art and design students. Chosen by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) for the Federation University Australian Art Collection. Sponsored by Federation University Australia.

Timing: End of semester 2
Frequency: Annual
Value: Value of work
Eligible discipline: Visual art/communication design
Eligible year level: 3

DVC Art Acquisition Award – 3D

This award is available to all graduating Arts Academy visual art and design students. Chosen by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) for the Federation University Australian Art Collection Sponsored by Federation University Australia.

Timing: End of semester 2
Frequency: Annual
Value: Value of work
Eligible discipline: Visual art/communication design
Eligible year level: 3

This award is available to a student in the 2D area for academic achievement. The Program Leader in consultation with other visual art and design staff select a student that has had consistently high results in their studio practice classes that they believe to be deserving of this award.

Timing: End of semester 2
Frequency: Annual
Value: $250
Eligible discipline: Visual arts/communication design
Eligible year level: 3

Read more about Creative Framing Gallery

This award is available to a student who has achieved meritorious performance. This award is provided by the parents of the late Adrienne Guy who donated $2000 in 1979. The Program Leader in consultation with other visual art and design staff select a student that they believe to be deserving of this award.

Timing: End of semester 2
Frequency: Annual
Value: $100
Eligible discipline: Visual arts/communication design
Eligible year level: 3

This award is available to a talented or deserving student from the city and district of Ballarat studying art. This annual award was provided for in the will of the late Martha K Pinkerton. The Program Leader in consultation with other visual art and design staff select a student that they believe to be deserving of this award.

Timing: Semester 2
Frequency: Annual
Value: $100
Eligible discipline: Visual arts/communication design
Eligible year level: 3

NAVA Award

This award is available to a graduating student who achieves the highest marks in their professional practice unit, or who staff feel would be the most deserving of the benefits offered by a NAVA membership and resources. The Visual Art and Design Program Leader in consultation with visual arts staff awards this prize. Sponsored by the National Association for the Visual Arts Ltd.

Timing: End of semester 2
Frequency: Annual
Value: One year NAVA membership and access to all of NAVA’s online artist resources
Eligible discipline: Visual arts/communication design
Eligible year level: 3

AGDA Award

This award is available to a Bachelor of Communication Design student for overall academic excellence during their three years of degree study. The Program Leader in consultation with other visual art and design staff select a student that has achieved high academic results in their studio and theory classes. Sponsored by the Australian Graphic Design Association.

Timing: End of semester 2
Frequency: Annual
Value: Annual membership to AGDA
Eligible discipline: Communication design
Eligible year level: 3

This award is available to first year student/s that have achieved high academic results in their studio and theory classes. The Program Leader in consultation with other visual art and design staff select student/s and recommend them for this award. Sponsored by Federation University Australia.

Timing: End of semester 2
Frequency: Annual
Value: $50
Eligible discipline: Visual arts/communication design
Eligible year level: 1

Federation University Award

This award is offered in collaboration with the Ballarat Arts Foundation (BAF) as part of their annual program of creative arts grants. It is for emerging artists of any genre dedicated to creating positive change in the cultural life of Ballarat.

Read more about BAF grants and the application process

Now in its eleventh year, the Flanagan Art Exhibition and Prize has grown into an important visual art award for the region, with a total of $7,000 in prize-money offered to Australian artists. The Federation University Emerging Artist Award is an integral part of the Flanagan Art Prize, offering $1,500 to someone wishing to develop a career in a chosen art form, who has not exhibited regularly in or through a commercial gallery, and/or has practised as a professional artist continually for less than five years.

Timing: The Exhibition was last held in 2017 in the St Patrick's College Old Collegians Association Pavilion
Frequency: Biennial (next offered in 2019)
Value: $5,000 first prize, plus others to a total prize pool of $7,000
Eligible discipline: All media, except art pertaining to live matter. See conditions of entry.
Eligible year level: Open
Additional requirements: Read the conditions of entry, and enter online at St Patricks College website

Read more about our collaboration with St Patrick’s College

The Gippsland Centre for Art and Design celebrates the region’s emerging visual artists through the Refresh Art Prize. Refresh showcases the creative work of Gippsland VCE art students and their schools. The prestigious award has a total prize pool of $5,000, and aims to amplify and champion the significant work happening in visuals arts programs across local secondary schools in the Gippsland region. Selected works are also exhibited at the University’s Switchback Gallery, strengthening participants’ portfolios. In 2016, the first prize of $2,000 was taken out by Ali Taylor of Gippsland Grammar.

Timing: Entries close Friday, 4 August. An independent panel judges the award and the winners are announced at the University’s Open Day in late August.

Frequency: Annual
Value: $2,000 first prize, plus others to a total prize pool of $5,000
Eligible discipline: Visual arts
Eligible year level: VCE art students
Additional requirements: It is important students see their art teacher for entry and submission details or download information brochure (pdf, 355kb).