Kate Challis RAKA Award

About

The Kate Challis RAKA Award celebrates Indigenous creative artists. In 2026, the award supports the best book of fiction published between 2021-2026 and written in English by an Indigenous author.

Applications open

14 April 2026

Applications close

9 June 2026

Benefits

Up to $25,000 is available and only one award will be offered from this amount. Award payments will be made as a single lump-sum.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this prize, you must:

• have published a book of fiction written in English between 2021 and 2026; and,
• be an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

Selection criteria

The recipient will be determined after considering the quality and creative merit of the submitted work of fiction as assessed by the selection committee.

Conditions

Recipients are required to:

• accept the award online within 21 days;
• acknowledge the Faculty of Arts and the name of the award 'Kate Challis RAKA Award' in any promotional material produced as a result of the award money and where possible, assist the Faculty of Arts in promoting the award.

Outcome

The winner will be invited to participate in an online announcement.

Application process

Eligible applicants/publishers must complete the online application form, including:

• mailing a copy of the book to each of the six judges (postal address will be provided via email once the application form has been successfully submitted);
• a 500-word artist statement outlining your creative development over the past five years;
• a two-page resume; and,
• any other information to support the application that may assist the committee in making its decision.

Apply

Enquiries

artsawards-info@unimelb.edu.au

About the donors

This award for Indigenous creative artists has been made available through the generosity of Professor Emeritus Bernard Smith, eminent art and cultural historian. The award was established to honour the memory of his late wife, Kate Challis, who was known in her youth as Ruth Adeney (RAKA is an acronym for the Ruth Adeney Koori Award).

In the Pintupi language, 'raka' means 'five' and in the Warlpiri 'rdaka' means 'hand', and both meanings are particularly apt for an award to be awarded in a cycle of five years to individual artists – novelists, poets, script writers, visual artists and playwrights – whose 'hands' are the basic means of creativity.

Recipient feedback

Ivan Sen

I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive the 2024 Kate Challis RAKA Award. My heartfelt thanks go to the Smith family for their unwavering support of Australian Indigenous artists. I am also truly grateful to the selection committee for their time, dedication, and head-space, and to the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne for their steadfast commitment to this award.

The information listed here is subject to change without notice. Information describing the number and value of scholarships awarded is indicative.