On Tuesday 24 February NIDA held its annual Major Scholarships Welcome Reception to welcome 28 incoming students who received Major scholarships for 2026, and thank our donors, corporate partners, trusts and foundations for their vital support which have made these scholarships possible.
This special evening provided these scholarship recipients the opportunity to meet with those supporting their scholarships, to speak about their first weeks spent at NIDA and their future creative ambitions in the performing arts: connecting the artists of tomorrow with the individuals and organisations investing in their future.
NIDA’s Head of Diploma of Musical Theatre and Diploma of Stage and Screen Performance, Darren Yap (Directing, 1997) served as MC with speeches from NIDA Foundation Trust’s Deputy Chair, James Marshall and Daniel Stephenson, Contents Partnerships Manager, YouTube Australia & NZ. YouTube and Google have provided significant support to Bachelor of Fine Arts students with major scholarships for the past six years. Performances from alumni and students were a highlight of the evening; Juliette Coleman (Acting, 2023) performed ‘Somewhere’ from West Side Story and second-year acting students Exodus Lale and Krissy Wigg sang ‘Suddenly, Seymour’ from Little Shop of Horrors accompanied on piano by Head of Music Dr Nicole Stinton.
Guests in attendance included: Hamish Balnaves, Caillean Honor and Amelia Hart (The Balnaves Foundation), Andrew Cameron AM and Cathy Cameron, Sarah Christie (Prime Video), James C. Edwards (Campbell Edwards Trust), Tim Fairfax AC and Gina Fairfax AC, Drew Ferors (Technical Direction Company), Peter Lowry AM and Carolyn Lowry OAM (Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation), Thea Spiropoulos and Christine Lynch OAM (Daughters of Penelope, Sydney), Allison McCann (ARA Group), Richard and Heather Penn (Penn Foundation), Daniel Stephenson (YouTube), Susan van Erven Dorens (Animal Logic Entertainment), Adrian Wilson and Leasa Beasley (Ingham’s). Also in attendance were board members from the NIDA Board and NIDA Foundation Trust.
This evening celebrated not only NIDA’s enduringly generous community of major scholarship supporters, but the transformative impact their support has for talented individuals in pursuing world-class training at NIDA.
On behalf of NIDA, we kindly thank the donors, corporate partners, trusts and foundations who have supported NIDA’s scholarships program, for which the total of this year is valued at over $1.5 million and welcome our incoming students. The NIDA Foundation Trust will distribute 108 new scholarships to students throughout 2026, providing them with vital support as they grow and develop in their studies at NIDA.
We all look forward to seeing what our students create and the stories they will share.
For more information on Scholarships at NIDA, visit: https://www.nida.edu.au/study/students/scholarships/
Gallery
1) Juliette Coleman (Acting, 2023) performed ‘Somewhere’.
2) Darren Yap presented as MC for the Reception.
3) Second-year acting students Exodus Lale and Krissy Wigg performed ‘Suddenly Seymour’ accompanied by Head of Music Dr Nicole Stinton.
4) Daniel Stephenson from YouTube spoke at NIDA’s Scholarship Reception.
5) Donors, recipients and NIDA staff at the Scholarship Reception.
*Header Image: Scholarship recipients at NIDA. All photo by Dominic Bleijie.