Australian Council of University Art & Design Schools

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Australian Council of University Art & Design Schools

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ACUADS, The Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools is the peak body for tertiary visual arts, crafts and design disciplines.

We support tertiary art and design education and research in Australia and the greater Asia Pacific community. Established in 1981, ACUADS was formally known as the National Conference of Heads of Arts and Design Schools – NCHADS. It was an association created for the leaders of the departments, schools and colleges of art and design. For over 10 years, NCHADS served as an informal link between executive officers within the sector, providing support and direction for the development of art and design education in Australia. The change of name in 1994 to ACUADS was intended to reflect the organisation’s location and community within the Unified System of Australian Universities. ACUADS represents over thirty Australian university and TAFE art and design faculties, schools and departments. We play an active role in shaping quality and diverse education for art, craft and design practitioners. The organisation is also concerned with issues affecting the wider economic, social and cultural development of the sector within Australia and the greater Asia Pacific region.

12/10/2026

Reminder: Nominations for the 2026 ACUADS Awards and applications for the ACUADS Grant Scheme closes Monday 19 October.
Do you have a staff member that deserves an award or a research project that could do with some funding? Please distribute widely through your network.

*ACUADS members are staff within the member institution.

2026 Awards and Grant Scheme: https://acuads.com.au/awards/ or [email protected]

The ACUADS Awards celebrate and reward excellence in teaching and research within Australian art and design schools. We seek to recognise work that leads the way for our sector, whether through challenging established practice or demonstrating sustained contributions in teaching and research.

ACUADS Awards
The ACUADS Awards recognise staff in our member institutions across all career levels. Nominations are invited for awards in the following categories:
• First Nations Catalyst Award
• First Nations Academic Award
• Teaching Catalyst Award
• Excellence in Teaching Award
• Research Catalyst Award
• Excellence in Research Award
• Professional Staff Award
• Lifelong Fellowship Award

ACUADS Grant Scheme
ACUADS invites applications for projects that support network building in the art and/or design tertiary sector. Applications in 2026 should demonstrate national impact or benefit for art and/or design; local and single-institution applications may be less successful. We also encourage proposals that provide evidence of proof of concept or seed projects that will support development towards larger grant applications to other schemes.
Total grant value is up to $5,000 AUD.

21/09/2026

2026 Awards and Grant Scheme
Nominations for the 2026 ACUADS Awards and applications for the ACUADS Grant Scheme are now invited!

The ACUADS Awards celebrate and reward excellence in teaching and research within Australian art and design schools. We seek to recognise work that leads the way for our sector, whether through challenging established practice or demonstrating sustained contributions in teaching and research.

ACUADS Awards
The ACUADS Awards recognise staff in our member institutions across all career levels. Nominations are invited for awards in the following categories:
First Nations Catalyst Award
First Nations Academic Award
Teaching Catalyst Award
Excellence in Teaching Award
Research Catalyst Award
Excellence in Research Award
Professional Staff Award
Lifelong Fellowship Award

Self or peer nominations across all levels are welcomed from ACUADS members* in the tertiary art and design sector with endorsement by Heads of School (or equivalent) for the ACUADS Awards. First Nations, Teaching, Research and Professional Staff Award recipients receive $1000 AUD each.

For more information about the 2026 ACUADS Award, including information on the selection criteria, and the nomination and submission process, please visit https://acuads.com.au/awards/.

ACUADS Grant Scheme
ACUADS invites applications for projects that support network building in the art and/or design tertiary sector. Applications in 2026 should demonstrate national impact or benefit for art and/or design; local and single-institution applications may be less successful. We also encourage proposals that provide evidence of proof of concept or seed projects that will support development towards larger grant applications to other schemes.
Total grant value is up to $5,000 AUD.

ACUADS Grant Application Process
Please request a 2026 Grant Application Form from [email protected] and return the completed from and submission before the application deadline.

Deadline and Submission
The final closing date for submissions for the ACUADS Awards and Grant scheme is Monday 19 October 2026.

More information on eligibility, the application process, and previous grant recipients, can be found here.

*ACUADS members are staff within the member institution. Please direct all queries to [email protected]. Please circulate this information within your institution networks.

Address

Canberra, ACT
2601

Website

http://acuads.com.au/

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