Please fill out our submission form with your personal details and details of your artwork, and attach a maximum of three high-resolution images of your artwork (10MB) and/or 1 video (50 MB).

“Change and Hope” Amateur Art competition for artists with lived experience of disability

Organised by the Centre for Disability Research and Policy and the Disability At Work Network (DAWN) at the University of Sydney

Terms and conditions

1.    These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) apply to the game of skill described below (the “Competition”).

2.    The Competition will be conducted by The University of Sydney (ABN 15 211 513 464 and CRICOS Number 00026A) (the “Promoter”) during the Competition Period.

3.    The terms may be amended or replaced by the Promoter in its absolute discretion and at any time.

4.    Entry into the Competition is deemed acceptance of the Terms (as amended from time to time).

Eligibility

5.    All entrants to the Competition must be residents of Australia.

6.    Entrants under 18 years of age must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian to enter the Competition. Entries submitted without this consent may be deemed ineligible. If a winner is under 18, the Promoter may, in its discretion, award the prize to the consenting parent or guardian on the winner’s behalf.

7.    All submissions must be made before midnight of the closing date of Sunday, 2 November 2025, to be eligible to enter this Competition.

8.    The Competition is open to non-professional artists with lived experience of disability. This is a game of skill; chance plays no part in determining the winner.

Artwork submission

9.    All entries must be submitted by midnight (AEST) on Saturday, 8 November 2025 to be eligible.

10. Entries open at AEST 9:00am on Wednesday, 17  September 2025 and close at midnight on Saturday, 8 November 2025 (extended from 1 November).

11. Entries must be uploaded via the following webform: https://sydneyunihealthmarketing.formstack.com/forms/cdrp_art_competition

12. Artists may use any preferred medium in the creation of their artworks. Judging will be based on photographs and/or video of the submitted artwork only. Entrants can upload a maximum of 3 images (max 10MB total) and 1 video (50MB).

13. All artworks, including three-dimensional works such as sculpture, pottery, craft or textile art will be judged solely on the submitted photographs and video.

14. All designs must be the original work of the artist submitting the design and must not infringe the rights of any other party. The submitting artist must be the sole owner of the copyright in the submitted design and indemnifies the Promoter against any third-party claims regarding the submitted design.

15. The artwork must not contain logos, brand references, or licensed characters (e.g. from movies, TV shows, books, cartoons) .

16. Entries must not contain any photographs of recognisable people or products.

17. Entries containing any offensive material will be disqualified and will not be submitted for voting or be eligible to win.

18. Artists may enter more than one artwork. Each artwork must be entered into the Competition through a separate submission.

19. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost, incorrectly submitted or incorrectly submitted entries, nor for any technical issues such as internet congestion or incorrect contact details.

Virtual Exhibition

20. Photographs of finalist artworks will be displayed in a virtual exhibition hosted on a publicly accessible University website.  

21. The virtual exhibition will be promoted by the Centre for Disability Research and Policy and the Disability at Work Network (DAWN), through their communication channels and social media networks.

22. The virtual exhibition will remain publicly accessible for 12 months after the launch.

Prize winners Selection

23. Judging will commence on 3 November 2025.

24. Judging will be conducted by a panel of judges selected by the Centre for Disability Research and Policy and the Disability At Work Network (DAWN). The panel members will be announced at the start of the judging period.

25. Entries will be assessed on artistic merit and how well they reflect the theme “Change and Hope”. The scoring criteria include:

1. Eligibility
2. Interpretation and the clarity of the theme
3. Creativity, uniqueness, and originality
4. Artistic composition and overall design
5. Artistic Impact
6. Completeness

26. Finalists will be contacted between 17 and 28 November 2025.

Prizes

27. There will be one Jury Prize winner and two runners-up selected from all eligible entries. There will also be a People’s Choice Award and a Young Talent Award.

28. Winners of the Jury Prize and the runners up will be announced during the virtual exhibition launch on the evening of 8 December 2025.

29. The Jury Prize winner will receive a prize of $1500. Each runner-up will receive a prize of $700.

30. Visitors to the virtual gallery will be invited to vote for their favourite artwork among the finalists (i.e. a people’s choice). Voting for the People’s Choice award will be open from 8 to 17 December 2025 via an online survey.

31. The winner of People’s Choice Award will be announced on 18 December 2025 through social media and appropriate mailing lists, and notified directly by email.

32. The winner of the People’s Choice Award will receive $400.

33. Artists who were under 18 years of age at the time they entered the Competition will be considered for Young Talent Awards. Up to three Young Talent Awards will be awarded by the jury, using the same judging criteria as for other entrants. Each Young Talent Award recipient will receive a $200 voucher for art supplies.

Personal information

34. Personal information provided by entrants will be used by the Promoter to administer the Competition, manage prizes, and promote the event, in accordance with these Terms. The Promoter may also use any personal information in accordance with the Promoter’s privacy policy available at  https://www.sydney.edu.au/about-us/governance-and-structure/privacy-and-university-information/privacy-at-the-university.html. Entrants may access and correct their personal information held by the Promoter, upon request to the Promoter.

35. All entrants agree to the use of their personal information for the announcement of the finalist and winning artworks, through social media and mailing list. If an entrant prefers not to have their personal information disclosed publicly, they must notify the Promoter before the virtual exhibition launch.

36. Entrants are responsible for keeping their contact details (including residential address, email and phone number) up to during and after the Competition Period.

Use of artworks image and copyright

37. By entering the Competition, all entrants grant the Promoter a perpetual, royalty-free licence to use, publish, reproduce and distribute images of their submitted artwork for promotional purposes of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy, at the Promoter. This includes but is not limited use in social media, newsletters, emails and other communication related to the Competition and future iterations.

38. This license does not transfer copyright. Artists retain full ownership of their submitted work.

39. Entrants consent to reasonable adaptations of their artwork by the Promoter for promotional use, including edits for reproduction. The Promoter will provide appropriate attribution wherever possible.  

General

40. The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who breaches these Terms or engages in any unlawful or other improper misconduct that jeopardises the fair and proper conduct of the Competition.

41. If unforeseen circumstances (e.g.  technical issues, natural disasters, vandalism, power failures, strikes) prevent the Competition from proceeding as planned, the Promoter may cancel, delay, or modify the Competition or its prizes. There is no obligation on the Promoter to reschedule or rerun the Competition.

42. All decisions made by the Promoter in relation to the conduct of the Competition, including the selection of winners and runners up, are final. No correspondence will be entered into.

43. All costs associated with accepting or using a prize (e.g. taxes, delivery, maintenance) are the sole responsibility of the winner or the person authorized to accept the prize on behalf of the winner.  

44. The Promoter is not responsible for any changes, cancellations or other circumstances that prevent a winner from accepting or using a prize. Any prize comprising a voucher is valid until the expiry date specified on the voucher (or its provider), and subject to the conditions stipulated by the provider.

45. The Promoter may, in its absolute discretion, disqualify:

a)    any entry that is not original, incomplete, infringes third-party rights, contains objectionable content, or may harm the reputation of any person.

b)    any entrant who tampers with the entry process or engages in conduct that undermines the fairness or reputation of the Competition.  

46. Entrants enter the Competition at their sole risk. Except where liability cannot be excluded by law, the Promoter is not liable for any loss, damage, injury or illness arising from participation in the Competition or use of a prize.