Five Victorian First Peoples artists will each receive $10,000 to transform Melbourne trams into rolling artworks.
The 2026 First Peoples Melbourne Art Trams program is now accepting expressions of interest, with curator Kate ten Buuren (Taungurung) on the hunt for five artists to bring their creative vision to the city’s iconic public transport.
The First Peoples Melbourne Art Trams initiative invites Victorian Traditional Owners and First Peoples artists living and working in Victoria to submit their ideas.
First Peoples Melbourne Art Trams
- Applications close 11.59pm, 23 January 2026
- Open to Victorian Traditional Owners or First Peoples living and working in Victoria
- Five artists will be selected
- Each artist receives $10,000
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Each of the five successful artists will pocket $10,000 for their work, which will see their designs wrapped around trams that travel through the city. The program is presented by RISING in partnership with Transport Victoria and Yarra Trams, and applications are open to First Peoples artists at any stage of their career and working across any art form.
The curator is encouraging artists to submit work that reflects on time, memory and what exists beyond physical worlds and current circumstances. Artists are invited to push the limits of their imagination and share ideas that honour their creativity and expansive thinking.
If you’re a First Peoples artist in Victoria, get your application in before the deadline. And if you’re not but know someone who is, pass this one along.
For more information, head here.
