British Council offers career boost to emerging Aussie creative talent

April 27, 2010: Australia’s best up-and-coming creative practitioners are invited to apply to win one of five scholarships offering the rare opportunity to connect with industry leaders in the UK, thanks to the British

Council’s Realise Your Dream awards.

Now in its eighth successful year, Realise Your Dream is open to anyone working in creative fields such as visual arts, fashion, design, advertising, architecture, music, animation, digital media, performing arts, new media and computer games. The scheme awards excellence and vision in Australia’s creative industries by providing financial and professional support to help emerging talent make professional contacts and expand their horizons in one of the world’s most vibrant cultural settings. Five awards are on offer to Australians in the early stages of their careers. They’ll each be flown to the UK by Virgin Atlantic and receive an $8,000 NAB Cash Passport from National Australia Bank to cover their expenses.

But the unique part of the prize is this: the British Council will tap into its strong network of UK’s finest creatives to help craft a tailored professional development programme for each winner that will provide valuable networking experience and mentoring.

Winners from last year included:

• Mark Robinson, filmmaker from Potts Point, NSW

• Julian Day, sound artist/composer from O’Connor, ACT

• Timba Smits, designer/independent publisher from Richmond, VIC

• Lally Katz, playwright from Kew, VIC

• Sascha Ettinger-Epstein, filmmaker from Double Bay, NSW

“Realise Your Dream presents a unique opportunity for young creative Australians to take their careers to the next level by forming international connections. The British Council recognises the great worth of our future cultural leaders and wants to help them reach their potential,” said British Council Director Nick Marchand.

“We’re looking for applicants with vision, talent, commitment and a passion for their craft, who will benefit from engaging with the UK’s dynamic creative industry.” Realise Your Dream is a British Council initiative made possible by principal sponsor NAB, in association with

Virgin Group of Airlines, Stamford Hotels and Resorts, triple j, Access PR and Republic of Everyone.

PO Box 88 Edgecliff NSW 2027

T +61 (0)2 9326 2022

F +61 (0)2 9327 4868

E enquiries@britishcouncil.org.au

www.britishcouncil.org.au

The United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.

“Personally I’m a very strong advocate for the Realise Your Dream programme. We’re big supporters here at NAB, and have been delighted to be involved since inception. Winning this opportunity to travel to the UK is very significant. There’s evidence through the alumni that some of these people will hit the big time, and that’s great,” said John Simpson, General Manager Group Corporate Affairs NAB. Entries are online and opened Friday 23 April and close Friday 18 June 2010. Visit the Realise Your Dream website for more details: www.realiseyourdream.org.au.

For more information, please contact:

Hannah Furness

Access Public Relations

T: 02 9279 4100

E: hannah@accesspr.com.au

About British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We work in over 100 countries worldwide to build engagement and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people. We work in the arts, education, English, science, sport and governance and last year we engaged face to face with 13.2 million people and reached 221 million. We are a non-political organisation which operates at arm’s length from government. www.britishcouncil.org.au.