THE RESIDENCIES
CURRENT RESIDENCIES
Shark Island Kangaroo Valley offers a selection of residencies throughout the year. The program focuses on documentary film, art, theatre, music and story. The residencies are either through application or invitation.
FILM
Shark Island Foundation Feature Docs Pitch
The Shark Island Foundation Feature Docs Pitch gives producers the opportunity to pitch at AIDC 2026 (2–5 March) for the chance to receive a development grant of $25,000 and to participate in a four-day creative residency at Shark Island Kangaroo Valley (12–15 May, 2026) to progress a feature documentary project.
More >
Producers are invited to submit a feature-length documentary project (75 mins+) in development with a plan for theatrical or streaming release. The story can be of any genre but must be character-driven, have a distinctive point of view, with a creative vision and clear artistic style. Ideally, it should have the potential to shift thinking.
The Lab launches in 2026 as a four-day creative residency. Two members from each team will work closely with acclaimed filmmaker and story consultant Joseph Nizeti and the Shark Island team, who will provide tailored guidance to help shape and elevate these stories.
PLEASE NOTE: Applications for the Shark Island Feature Docs Pitch were made through AIDC’s Cut to the Chase program and applications closed on Friday 23 January, 2026 at 23:59 AEDT (or late deadline Friday 30 January, 2026).
PLEASE NOTE: Projects must also have applied to Documentary Australia for fiscal sponsorship (round closes 27th January, 2026)
MORE INFO: AIDC (Australian International Documentary Conference)
Residency dates: 12–15 May, 2026
Applications closed.
First Nations Impact Lab
The First Nations Impact Lab is a five-day immersive learning experience for documentary and screen-based changemakers using storytelling as a tool for cultural, environmental, and social change. Now in its third year, the Lab builds capacity by uplifting practitioners who may not self-identify as Impact Producers, yet are driving systems change and strengthening community through storytelling, education, cultural leadership or organising.
Across five days, eight participants will gather at Shark Island Kangaroo Valley on Wodi Wodi country for a rare opportunity to connect with leading practitioners from across the globe to learn strategies for activating community-determined solutions, influencing policy, protecting Country, and prioritising the voices and needs of First Peoples.
MORE INFO: garuwa.com
STORY
Accumulate
Shark Island Institute has a celebrated 25‑year history of creating and supporting award‑winning documentaries that aim to educate, entertain, and make a significant social impact through bold truth‑telling. The residency program at Shark Island Kangaroo Valley extends this ethos into a live, collaborative setting, supporting artists to develop new work that is grounded in real stories capable of shifting how audiences think and feel about the world.
ACCUMULATE is our residency program for the development of new contemporary Australian work across a multitude of artforms. During the residency, artists are invited to share their practice with one another to broaden perspectives, enrich collective understanding, and support the rigorous generation of new work.
Who can apply?
This residency is open to individual artists and or a small team of collaborators working in the following disciplines: theatre and contemporary performance, dance and choreography, music composition, poetry and the visual arts. We welcome applications from artists of all ages and diverse backgrounds who are committed to creating contemporary Australian stories with a global resonance.
Selection: Artists are selected based on the strength and clarity of their ideas, their capacity to articulate the project’s development, and its potential impact. Selected works may also be invited for further development and presentation at The Old Store.
Closing Date: 16 April 2026
Residency dates: 7–20 July 2026 (14 days / 13 nights)<
Grant: $1,000
Places: Up to seven artists
THEATRE
Story Assembly
Story Assembly is a dynamic ensemble-based program that develops new contemporary theatre work that aligns with Shark Island’s current creative projects. Over the course of three residencies (five weeks in total), nine theatre artists will be given the opportunity to immerse themselves in a rich collaborative environment that will encourage experimentation, embodied exploration and the creation of new contemporary work.
The project is through application, and the artists will be supported through a grant as well as time, accommodation and nourishment at Shark Island Kangaroo Valley. It is a year-long investment of theatre artists in the first ten years of their practice and the project’s intention is to seed the ground for the future sustainability of these artists through bold truth telling.
Story Assembly 2025/2026 Artists
Lauren McNaught, Lucinda Howes, Tiernan Rennie, Will Bastow, Shannon Ryan, Tinashe Mangwana, Will Bartolo, Ella Prince, Lucinda Smith
The program is facilitated and directed by Sam Chester.
Hear from the participants:
Griffin Studio — New Australian Playwrights through Griffin Theatre
Griffin Studio is an esteemed artist development program — a year-long creative laboratory for early-career playwrights. Each year, Studio artists develop one or more projects in collaboration with Griffin’s Artistic team, while also undertaking workshops on playwriting and theatre making. The program offers time, space, and resources for artists to create work with the potential to shape the cultural landscape. In 2026, for the first time, Shark Island Kangaroo Valley will support this initiative by hosting a week-long residency, offering a focused and immersive environment for creative exploration.
MORE INFO: griffintheatre.com.au
ART
Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship
The Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, administered by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, will once again extend its support to outstanding artists aged 20 to 30 with an established body of work. The scholarship offers two residency pathways: an international residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, and a two-week residency at Shark Island Kangaroo Valley. The Shark Island Kangaroo Valley residency program, now in its sixth year, will host five artists simultaneously in November 2026. Each artist will receive $10,000 and take part in a two-week immersive residency that includes a program developed in collaboration with the Brett Whiteley Studio.
MORE INFO: artgallery.nsw.gov.au
MUSIC
SongHubs Stories
SongHubs is a flagship collaborative songwriting program by APRA AMCOS that brings together emerging and established songwriters, composers, and producers from around the world. It provides opportunities for creators to connect, share ideas, and work together in a professional studio environment to write new, commercially focused songs. As part of this program, and for the first time in 2026, Shark Island will be offering time and space for an immersive five-day songwriting residency designed for narrative-led songwriters, focusing on the transformative power of storytelling in music. Curated by renowned singer/songwriter Jenny Morris, this residency offers a unique opportunity to delve deep into the art of crafting compelling narratives through song. The goal of the residency is to help harness the power of story, examine the narrative form of a song and elevate the capacity of the songwriter to be creative through the power of collaboration.
MORE INFO: apraamcos.com.au
FILM
Shark Island Foundation Feature Docs Pitch
The Shark Island Foundation Feature Docs Pitch gives producers the opportunity to pitch at AIDC 2026 (2–5 March) for the chance to receive a development grant of $25,000 and to participate in a four-day creative residency at Shark Island Kangaroo Valley (12–15 May, 2026) to progress a feature documentary project.
More >
Producers are invited to submit a feature-length documentary project (75 mins+) in development with a plan for theatrical or streaming release. The story can be of any genre but must be character-driven, have a distinctive point of view, with a creative vision and clear artistic style. Ideally, it should have the potential to shift thinking.
The Lab launches in 2026 as a four-day creative residency. Two members from each team will work closely with acclaimed filmmaker and story consultant Joseph Nizeti and the Shark Island team, who will provide tailored guidance to help shape and elevate these stories.
PLEASE NOTE: Applications for the Shark Island Feature Docs Pitch were made through AIDC’s Cut to the Chase program and applications closed on Friday 23 January, 2026 at 23:59 AEDT (or late deadline Friday 30 January, 2026).
PLEASE NOTE: Projects must also have applied to Documentary Australia for fiscal sponsorship (round closes 27th January, 2026)
MORE INFO: AIDC (Australian International Documentary Conference)
Residency dates: 12–15 May, 2026
Applications closed.
First Nations Impact Lab
The First Nations Impact Lab is a five-day immersive learning experience for documentary and screen-based changemakers using storytelling as a tool for cultural, environmental, and social change. Now in its third year, the Lab builds capacity by uplifting practitioners who may not self-identify as Impact Producers, yet are driving systems change and strengthening community through storytelling, education, cultural leadership or organising.
Across five days, eight participants will gather at Shark Island Kangaroo Valley on Wodi Wodi country for a rare opportunity to connect with leading practitioners from across the globe to learn strategies for activating community-determined solutions, influencing policy, protecting Country, and prioritising the voices and needs of First Peoples.
MORE INFO: garuwa.com
STORY
Accumulate
Shark Island Institute has a celebrated 25‑year history of creating and supporting award‑winning documentaries that aim to educate, entertain, and make a significant social impact through bold truth‑telling. The residency program at Shark Island Kangaroo Valley extends this ethos into a live, collaborative setting, supporting artists to develop new work that is grounded in real stories capable of shifting how audiences think and feel about the world.
ACCUMULATE is our residency program for the development of new contemporary Australian work across a multitude of artforms. During the residency, artists are invited to share their practice with one another to broaden perspectives, enrich collective understanding, and support the rigorous generation of new work.
Who can apply?
This residency is open to individual artists and or a small team of collaborators working in the following disciplines: theatre and contemporary performance, dance and choreography, music composition, poetry and the visual arts. We welcome applications from artists of all ages and diverse backgrounds who are committed to creating contemporary Australian stories with a global resonance.
Selection: Artists are selected based on the strength and clarity of their ideas, their capacity to articulate the project’s development, and its potential impact. Selected works may also be invited for further development and presentation at The Old Store.
Closing Date: 16 April 2026
Residency dates: 7–20 July 2026 (14 days / 13 nights)<
Grant: $1,000
Places: Up to seven artists
THEATRE
Story Assembly
Story Assembly is a dynamic ensemble-based program that develops new contemporary theatre work that aligns with Shark Island’s current creative projects. Over the course of three residencies (five weeks in total), nine theatre artists will be given the opportunity to immerse themselves in a rich collaborative environment that will encourage experimentation, embodied exploration and the creation of new contemporary work.
The project is through application, and the artists will be supported through a grant as well as time, accommodation and nourishment at Shark Island Kangaroo Valley. It is a year-long investment of theatre artists in the first ten years of their practice and the project’s intention is to seed the ground for the future sustainability of these artists through bold truth telling.
Story Assembly 2025/2026 Artists
Lauren McNaught, Lucinda Howes, Tiernan Rennie, Will Bastow, Shannon Ryan, Tinashe Mangwana, Will Bartolo, Ella Prince, Lucinda Smith
The program is facilitated and directed by Sam Chester.
Hear from the participants:
Griffin Studio — New Australian Playwrights through Griffin Theatre
Griffin Studio is an esteemed artist development program — a year-long creative laboratory for early-career playwrights. Each year, Studio artists develop one or more projects in collaboration with Griffin’s Artistic team, while also undertaking workshops on playwriting and theatre making. The program offers time, space, and resources for artists to create work with the potential to shape the cultural landscape. In 2026, for the first time, Shark Island Kangaroo Valley will support this initiative by hosting a week-long residency, offering a focused and immersive environment for creative exploration.
MORE INFO: griffintheatre.com.au
ART
Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship
The Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, administered by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, will once again extend its support to outstanding artists aged 20 to 30 with an established body of work. The scholarship offers two residency pathways: an international residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, and a two-week residency at Shark Island Kangaroo Valley. The Shark Island Kangaroo Valley residency program, now in its sixth year, will host five artists simultaneously in November 2026. Each artist will receive $10,000 and take part in a two-week immersive residency that includes a program developed in collaboration with the Brett Whiteley Studio.
MORE INFO: artgallery.nsw.gov.au
MUSIC
SongHubs Stories
SongHubs is a flagship collaborative songwriting program by APRA AMCOS that brings together emerging and established songwriters, composers, and producers from around the world. It provides opportunities for creators to connect, share ideas, and work together in a professional studio environment to write new, commercially focused songs. As part of this program, and for the first time in 2026, Shark Island will be offering time and space for an immersive five-day songwriting residency designed for narrative-led songwriters, focusing on the transformative power of storytelling in music. Curated by renowned singer/songwriter Jenny Morris, this residency offers a unique opportunity to delve deep into the art of crafting compelling narratives through song. The goal of the residency is to help harness the power of story, examine the narrative form of a song and elevate the capacity of the songwriter to be creative through the power of collaboration.
MORE INFO: apraamcos.com.au
