Realise Your Dream is a professional development award open to all Australians (aged 30 and under as at 31 July), who are involved in creative industries. This includes those studying or working in creative fields such as visual arts, fashion, design, advertising, architecture, music, animation, multimedia, performing arts and computer games.

Now in its sixth successful year, the British Council Australia is behind the unique scheme and uses its UK network to find suitable mentors and money-can’t-buy work experience for the six winners. Winning candidates will be flown to the UK, and even get $8,000 to covers costs.

To go into the running, applicants need to demonstrate their creative potential, and tell us how they’ll benefit by connecting with Britain’s best. If they’re a winner, we’ll help organise a personally tailored work experience programme with a leader in their field. 

The scope of the professional development programme is dependent on individual goals and area of practice, but can include: developing an internship; help to apply to a professional short course; or assisting with introductions to relevant creatives with whom a professional relationship can be built.

Realise Your Dream offers a flexible application process to allow for entries from a wide variety of disciplines and practices. Additional support material can be in a number of formats - a blog, a Flickr site, a MySpace page, a portfolio of work, a DVD, or show reel. Applicants must address the selection criteria however, and clearly demonstrate a body of work for consideration.

To help applicants, we’ve put together a list of handy hints on what we’re looking for, which can be downloaded HERE

For more information visit our website at www.realiseyourdream.org.au
or email realiseyourdream@britishcouncil.org.au

Applications close 31 July 2008