Young actors, painters and poets share in $350k worth of scholarships

Sara Mansour photo by Merima SalihbegovicCreative Australia has announced the seven talented young artists who are recipients of this year’s Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarships.

The $50,000 scholarships are offered to young artists (aged 21-35) and administered by Creative Australia on behalf of Perpetual as trustee. They enable recipients to explore, study and develop their talents through interstate and international travel.

“These scholarships provide career defining opportunities and pathways for young artists to achieve their dreams, helping to realise the aim of late theatre artist John Chisolm Marten who established the charitable trust,” said Creative Australia CEO, Adrian Collette AM.

“The Marten Bequest is a great example of the enduring legacy of private investment in the arts, as the scholarships continue to nurture future generations of Australian creative talent.”

The Recipients of the Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarships are:

  • Emma McManus – Acting
  • Aera Bradley – Acting
  • Maria Moles – Instrumental Music
  • Lorna Quinn – Painting
  • Leon Zhan – Painting
  • Chloe Mayne – Poetry
  • Sara Mansour – Poetry

“I feel so honoured that other people also believe in my work and my vision. It is also humbling to be following in the footsteps of previous recipients and poets I admire like Candy Royalle, Sarah Holland-Batt and Judith Bishop,” said Sara Mansour.

Receiving this scholarship represents so many opportunities that otherwise would have been financially inaccessible to me; mentorship, research, travel and ultimately, the development of my first book of poetry which I have been dreaming about for over a decade,” said Sara.

“The Marten Bequest opens up my poetic horizons in profound ways, offering an opportunity to physically trace the veins of my motherline across three far-flung islands,” said Chloe Mayne.

“Being the mother of a young child, I can only emphasise how meaningful the gift of spaciousness provided by the bequest is for my poetry, both now and into the future,” said Chloe.


For more information about the Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarships and the recent recipients, visit: www.creative.gov.au for details.

Image: Sara Mansour – photo by Merima Salihbegovic