Spotlight is Darwin Festival’s engagement program for Northern Territory artists. NT artists are at the heart of our program and every year are presented alongside events by highly regarded national and international performers.

In 2021, we’re excited to continue our existing Expressions of Interest process and also launch a new Creative Development Fund for NT artists, made possible through donations from our audience.

Read more about the Spotlight engagement program by downloading the brochure here

The Creative Development Fund is an exciting new initiative for Darwin Festival to support the development of new work by Northern Territory artists. Artists can apply for between $5,000 and $20,000 to support the creation of new work, creative development of existing work, or seeding of new ideas.  

We’re looking for ideas and projects that are fresh, innovative and timely. Projects that support the professional development of Northern Territory artists, explore new ways of working and are collaborative.  

Our ambition is to support artists to develop and produce high quality work for eventual presentation in Darwin Festival. This funding is not for the presentation of work, and presentation in Darwin Festival is not a guaranteed outcome of successful applications.    

Funded activities will need to take place between February – October 2022, unless otherwise agreed. 

The Creative Development Fund has been made possible through the generous support of our donors, and the amount of total funding available to artists each year will be dependent on our total donations from the previous year.

For more information on the Creative Development Fund download the information pack and frequently asked questions. Also, download this simple budget template.

The NT Artists Expressions of Interest is an opportunity for Northern Territory artists to submit an application to the Festival to either present a work, tell us about an idea, or let us know what you do.  

 Darwin Festival is a multi-arts festival and we welcome applications from artists who work in any artform. That could be theatre, dance, experimental performance, circus, cabaret, comedy, visual arts, spoken word or installation. 

 We are particularly interested in new work or work with a point of difference. We get excited about artistic collaborations, free community projects and unusual performance works. We look for artists who have begun to build a profile within their field and for whom Darwin Festival would be the logical next step. 

We’ve streamlined the process for NT musicians. Make sure you click apply through the dedicated NT Musicians application form. Also download the handy information pack and frequently asked questions before you apply. 

Application timeline:

22 November 2021 – Applications open for 2022 Festival

23 November 2021 – In person information session (also livestreamed), 5.30pm ACST

29 November 2021 – Music information session with Music NT

31 January 2022 – Application deadline for NT Artists EOI and Creative Development Fund

7 February 2022 – NT Musicians EOIs close

14 February 2022 – Successful NT Artists EOI and Creative Development Fund applicants notified

7 March 2022 – Successful NT Musician EOIs notified

4-21 August 2022 Darwin Festival

NT Artist Info Session for Darwin Festival 2022

Watch our live recording of the event.

The application process is an online, written form. If this format is not an accessible option for you, we can arrange a different method, such as a video or audio application. Please get in touch with us at hello@darwinfestival.org.au or 08 8943 4200.  

 If you have questions about how your access needs can be accommodated, please get in touch prior to the closing date.