Opportunities for Artists

Offered annually in alignment with NAIDOC Week, the NAIDOC Commission provides an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artist with the opportunity to create a new artwork responding to the theme of the year.

The commissioned work will be unveiled during NAIDOC week during the City of Adelaide’s annual celebrations.

Past commissions include:

• Coleen Raven Strangways and Jakirah Telfer, Strength, Vision, Legacy (2025)
• Mali Isabel and Drew Kilner, Kardlapurruna (Burning Still) (2024)
• Caitlyn Davies-Plummer, The Path They Have Laid (2023)
• Iteka Ukarla Sanderson – Bromley, Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! (2022)
• Keisha Milera, Heal Country! (2021)
• Jamaya Branson, Always Was, Always Will Be (2020).

Learn more about NAIDOC Week

The Bentham Street Outdoor Gallery offers an opportunity for artists to expand their practice and experiment with creating small scale artworks for display in a public space outside the gallery wall.

Offered annually, The SALA City Library Emerging Curator opportunity is a paid opportunity with the City of Adelaide offering a chance for an emerging curator to create a contemporary art exhibition at the City Library during the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival.

Open to artists participating in SALA within the City of Adelaide, including North Adelaide, this Award recognises work that engages with the city, whether through its culture, communities, people, creativity, landmarks, history, place, flora, or fauna. Entries may also present a more abstract interpretation of Adelaide’s identity as a hub for playful, thought-provoking, and world-class art experiences.

Eligible artists can apply for the award through the SALA online portal from March each year.

Visit SALA's website for more information

The Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition is an annual showcase celebrating South Australia’s emerging contemporary creative voices, featuring the top graduate work from Flinders University and Adelaide University.

Since 2018, the City of Adelaide award recognises an outstanding graduate whose work reflects the city’s creativity, communities, identity, heritage, and lived experiences. Past recipients include Ellis Moseley (2026), Pippini Niamh (2025), Thao Le (2024), Teresa Busuttil (2023), Caroline Oakley (2022), Jessica Ganev (2021), Seiichi Kobayashi (2020), Tara Rowhani-Farid (2019), and Yusuf Ali Hayat (2018).

The City of Adelaide’s Community Grants Program supports free and affordable community-led initiatives that foster a vibrant, connected, and inclusive city.

Learn more about Community Grants