Graham F Smith Arts Peace Award

Background

The Graham F Smith Peace Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation established in 1989. It embodies Graham’s life of working for peace, social justice, human rights, and the dignity of labour. The Arts Peace Award provides funds and support for creating new work or developing work based on human rights, social justice, environmental sustainability and peacebuilding principles.

Selection criteria

Submissions for art projects will be accepted from Australian individuals and organisations that:

• Demonstrate aims that are compatible with the Peace Foundation’s vision – Working for Peace through the Arts
• Accord with one or more of the Peace Foundation’s objects:
  • promote peace and justice at the family, community and international level
  • lead to the end of injustice, racial tension, oppression and discrimination
  • increase understanding and cooperation between political, racial and ethnic groups
  • support the right of Indigenous people to economic self-determination
  • educate the public in Australia about the alternatives to war as a means of solving international disputes
  • promote the care of the earth
  • promote ecologically sustainable development
  • support oppressed people to control their environment for their daily needs
• use the funding to create new work or support the development of work
• will be completed within 12 months of receiving the funds (unless an extension is negotiated)

We seek projects that:

• hold the potential to be impactful across the community
• take part in a creative process that is equally as important as the outcome
• result in a public showing of the work (or work in progress) and discussion of the process
• involve a process of documentation
• result in a tangible artistic outcome
• have a commitment to experimentation, excellence and innovation in the arts
• include any creative medium, whether written, performance-based, music, visual, or digital.

Optional, the artist may present a presentation after the project in a venue jointly agreed upon by the artist and the Peace Foundation. 

Where appropriate, the Graham F Smith Peace Foundation must be credited with the project’s life.

The artist must use the funds to support the creative process of the artwork. The artist can allocate a proportion of the funds towards production costs and engaging other creatives.

The artist may apply for other funding sources to support their project.

The Graham F Smith Peace Foundation may choose not to fund any submissions in a particular year.