Helpmann Academy
Share
We exist to empower emerging creatives to amplify their unique talents and to champion their drive and ambition to build sustainable practices.
The Helpmann Academy is the only organisation of it’s kind in Australia. We support South Australia’s most exciting new artists launch their careers by providing professional development opportunities including grants, mentorships, masterclasses, advisory services and international artist exchanges, all tailored specifically for South Australia’s higher education students, tertiary graduates and emerging artists. The Helpmann Academy is a unique collaborative partnership, unifying the skills and resources of the state's universities. Since 1994 the Helpmann Academy has been empowering emerging creatives, promoting South Australia as a centre for excellence in creative education, and contributing to the artistic community of the state. The Helpmann Academy makes a critical difference in the lives and careers of these emerging artists as they move from the world of study to the rigorous demands of professional practice.
27/09/2026
LAST CHANCE FOR 2026! 🚨
Development Grants close tomorrow, Tuesday 29 September at 11:59pm ACST!
Apply for up to $3,000 to help develop your creative practice, whether you’re working on new ideas or projects, building your skills, accessing mentorship or taking your work to new audiences. 💡🎨🚀
Finalise your application and get it in before the deadline!
🔗 Find out more, check your eligibility and apply now: https://helpmannacademy.com.au/development-grants-apply-now/
📸 Melissa Pullinger in Meteors, photo by Missy Snaps.
Development Grants are made possible through the generosity of John Phillips and the Government of South Australia through CreateSA.
25/09/2026
Final-year students, did you see us on campus at What’s Brewing? 👀☕
Our Development Grants are the first opportunity you’re eligible for!
With up to $3,000 available, you could put the funding towards developing new work, building your skills, working with a mentor or exploring a new opportunity in your first year out of uni.
Applications close next week!
🔗 Find out more and apply here: https://helpmannacademy.com.au/development-grants-apply-now/
23/09/2026
There’s still time to apply for a Helpmann Academy $2,500 scholarship for 's 2027 Associate Program! Applications close next Wednesday, 30 September…
Designed for emerging artists and designers working across Ceramics, Glass, Furniture, and Jewellery/Metal, the program supports you to build the professional and entrepreneurial skills needed for a thriving creative career. 💪
Don’t miss out, head to the link in our bio for application details!
📷: (2026 recipient): Photo
23/09/2026
Curious about our Project Curator Mentorship 2027?
This four-month opportunity offers hands-on curatorial experience, one-on-one mentorship and industry connections, with $5,000 cash + 12% superannuation, and a total opportunity value of $10,000! 🎉
Work alongside an experienced curator and Helpmann Academy Program Manager Toni Wills to help deliver the Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition 2027 at SASA Gallery.
Got questions? Book a chat via the link in bio!
Applications close Tuesday 27 October, 11.59pm ACDT. 📅
📸: Sam Roberts
What can $3,000 make possible?
For Melissa Pullinger, Development Grant funding helped take her CRAM COLLECTIVE theatre show ‘Meteors’ to the Edinburgh Fringe!
If you’ve got a project, idea or opportunity you’ve been wanting to pursue, Development Grants offer up to $3,000 to help make it happen.
Applications are open now. Head to the link in our bio to find out more and apply! ✨
15/09/2026
Applications are now OPEN for the Project Curator Mentorship 2027! 🎨
This four-month professional development opportunity is designed for emerging visual artists and curators looking to grow their curatorial practice through hands-on experience, industry connections and one-on-one mentorship.
The successful applicant will receive $5,000 + super and work alongside an experienced curator to help deliver the 2027 Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition at SASA Gallery.
From exhibition planning and curating through to installation and delivery, it’s a chance to get real-world experience and build your network across South Australia’s visual arts sector.
📅 Applications close Tuesday 27 October, 11.59pm ACDT.
Find out more and apply here: https://helpmannacademy.com.au/project-curator-mentorship/
15/09/2026
Applying for the Neil Curnow Award 2027 could be the next step in your theatre career! 🎭
Valued at up to $10,000 for international study or $7,000 for interstate study, this award supports eligible emerging theatre practitioners aged 18-30 years to pursue further study and professional development opportunities beyond South Australia.
If your practice is in acting, theatre performance or direction, you could receive award funds for workshops, internships, mentoring, professional development, skills training and MORE.
Shardae Santos applied last year and received the 2026 opportunity. Swipe to see what she has to say!
📅 Applications close Tuesday 27 October, 11.59pm ACDT.
Explore the opportunity and apply now: https://helpmannacademy.com.au/neil-curnow-award/
The Neil Curnow Award is facilitated by the Helpmann Academy in collaboration with the Independent Arts Foundation.
10/09/2026
Regional creatives, listen up!! 👀
There’s less than ONE week left to apply for the Helpmann Academy Elise Ross Regional Award 2027, offering up to $5,000 to support emerging creatives across all artistic disciplines.
If you’re a Helpmann Academy-eligible creative based in, or working with, regional South Australia, this opportunity is for you.
Got a creative project or idea you want to make happen? This funding could help you get it off the ground.
✨ Up to $5,000 available
✨ Open to individuals and collectives
✨ All artistic disciplines welcome
✨ Supporting creative activity, connections and audiences across regional SA
The Elise Ross Regional Award 2027 is proudly supported by the Ross Family.
Applications close Tuesday 15 September at 11:59pm ACST.
https://helpmannacademy.com.au/elise-ross-regional-award/
09/09/2026
We’re delighted to announce Martina Beka as the recipient of the Helpmann Academy British School at Rome Residency 2027!
Martina is a multidisciplinary artist working across sculpture, installation and photography. Her practice explores the relationship between materiality, site and the self, with a particular interest in found objects and spaces that hold traces of human interaction. Martina’s work considers memory, forgetting, remembering and our impulse to preserve what might otherwise be lost.
Through exhibitions (including the Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition in 2024), awards, prizes and professional opportunities across South Australia and interstate, Martina has continued to build an exciting and growing practice. We can’t wait to see where this incredible opportunity takes her. 🇮🇹✨
Congratulations, Martina!
There’s less than ONE week left to apply for the Elise Ross Regional Award 2027, offering up to $5,000 to support emerging creatives from all artistic disciplines who are based in, or working with, regional South Australia!
Established by the Ross Family in loving memory of Elise Ross, the award helps artists overcome the challenges of distance, build meaningful community connections and grow creative opportunities across regional SA.
✨ Up to $5,000 available
✨ Open to individuals and collectives
✨ Supporting projects that strengthen creative activity, connections and audiences in regional SA
Applications close Tuesday 15 September at 11:59pm ACST.
https://helpmannacademy.com.au/elise-ross-regional-award/
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
Category
Contact the establishment
Telephone
Address
Suite 417, Level 4, 147 Pirie Street
Adelaide, SA
5000
Opening Hours
| Monday | 9am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 5pm |