In 2026, NIDA will offer over $1.3 million across 85 scholarships thanks to the vital support of its generous donors.
The Balnaves Foundation, Tim Fairfax AC, ARA Group, Zareh Nalbandian and Animal Logic Entertainment, the Federman Family Foundation, YouTube, Ingham’s, Netflix, Prime Video, The Penn Foundation, Andrew Cameron AM and Cathy Cameron, Peter Ivany AO, and the Technical Direction Company (TDC) are supporting NIDA students with Major Scholarships to undertake our world-class training in 2026.
Animal Logic Entertainment, through the valuable support of Zareh Nalbandian, will continue to support NIDA, by providing $200,000 for two new Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Scholarships ($100,000 each), for a student who identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, or from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, facing barriers to accessing education due to financial need.
Prime Video continues its generous support of NIDA, following funding scholarships in 2024 and 2025, by contributing $75,000. The funding includes a $50,000 scholarship for a 2026 MFA student in Directing or Dramatic Writing, open to applicants identifying as female or non-binary from intersectional backgrounds including but not limited to gender identity, cultural identity, people with a disability or people within the LGBTQIA+ community. The remaining $25,000 will support NIDA’s 18-month MFA Directing program.
The new Netflix Specialist Make-Up Scholarship will provide a 2026 Diploma of Screen and Media (Specialist Make-up Services) student who identifies as First Nations and/or a person of colour (POC) with $50,000 dollars to cover academic fees, travel and living expenses for the one-year course.
For the sixth year running, YouTube are supporting a NIDA BFA student from a background historically underrepresented in the screen and stage industry, with a scholarship of $50,000.
NIDA CEO, Liz Hughes said: “NIDA would like to wholeheartedly thank all scholarship partners for this generous and vital support. We are incredibly grateful for the continued backing of the next generation of storytellers as these scholarships enable talented creative students to undertake NIDA’s intensive industry-ready training.”
The extensive range of scholarships will provide support to students pursuing degrees in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and Vocational Diplomas, by helping to cover essential living expenses and fees, with some offering travel costs, mentorship and paid traineeships at the completion of study.
NIDA Scholarships are immensely important to the students coming from diverse backgrounds nationwide who all have exceptional talent but may not have been in a financial position to take up the opportunity to study at NIDA.
Danny Howard, 2024 BFA Acting graduate and the first recipient of The Balnaves Foundation First Nations Scholarship, said: “Coming from remote WA, the financial support was amazing. I’ve also built so many connections through the Balnaves Scholarship, including meeting other actors and industry people and even though I’ve now graduated and finished my scholarship, the Balnaves team are still in contact with me”.
Liam Wallis, MFA Directing student and recipient of the Andrew Cameron AM and Cathy Cameron Scholarship said: “I wouldn’t be here without the scholarship. Now that I know that I can focus on my study at one of the most prestigious schools in the world, I can make the most of it and I was able to do that because of the scholarship.”
Dakotah Love, 2024 BFA Acting graduate and ARA First Nations Scholarship recipient said: “The ARA Group scholarship has been truly life-changing and through my scholarship, I feel like my Aboriginality has been encouraged and it’s given me a lot of confidence in being able to stand in who I am and decide for myself that this is the art that I want to make, and I’ve felt empowered to be able to do that.”
Jaspa Frankish, 2024 BFA Costume graduate and Tim Fairfax AC Scholarship recipient shared: “I’ve discovered there are just so many possibilities out there in the creative industry and being able to study at NIDA, thanks to this scholarship, means I am leaving with even more possibilities than I started with.”
Rhiannon Clarke, MFA Dramatic Writing student and Ingham’s Scholarship recipient said: “When I discovered NIDA’s MFA Writing course, it felt like the perfect next step to propel my career forward, and receiving the Ingham’s First Nations scholarship has been a blessing. Coming from Boorloo (Perth), the scholarship has provided me with financial stability that covers my rent, food expenses and trips back home. I wouldn’t be able to study at NIDA if it wasn’t for Ingham’s First Nations scholarship.”
Kaia Krause, current BFA Technical Theatre and Stage Management student and recipient of The Dylan Alcott Foundation Scholarship, said: ‘it’s an honour to be able to study my dream career at NIDA with this kind of support. It means I can put my full effort into pursuing my dreams.”
Esther Dougherty, current MFA Directing student and recipient of the Federman Family Foundation Scholarship, said, “I feel like the scholarship gave me a big thumbs up to keep going and it gave me the confidence to pursue theatre directing”.
There are many NIDA scholarships available, made possible through the generosity of donors, trusts and foundations, corporate partners, and bequests through the NIDA Foundation Trust. To find out more about NIDA Scholarships and for a complete list, visit NIDA Scholarships.
Applications for the 2026 Scholarships open in October and are available to applicants who progress to Round Two of the application process.
To enquire about donating to NIDA and/or providing a scholarship, please email us at [email protected].