EOI submission tips

Preparing your EOI for Arts House

Coming up with a brilliant arts project for an Expression of Interest process is half the challenge: the next step is clearly and simply sharing your concept so your proposal stands out with our peer advisory panels.

Below are some hot EOI submission tips we’ve gathered from our recent workshops run by Niwa Mburuja, Kath Papas, Takashi Takiguchi, Arts Access Victoria and Arts House Creative team.

Before you start

Read the information about CultureLAB and The Warehouse Residency programs on the artist opportunities webpage, including the Frequently Asked Questions

• If you missed the information session – watch a recording the CultureLAB here and The Warehouse Residency here
• Get familiar with Arts House’s vision, values and priorities and The Warehouse Residency guiding principles (listed under About The Warehouse Residency)
• View past recipients for CultureLAB in 2022/23 or The Warehouse Residency in 2022/23 to see the range of projects and artists that have been curated recently

Preparing your EOI

• Preview the EOI form before starting your proposal
• Work offline
• Give yourself time to plan each component of the EOI – responding to the questions, drafting the budget, identifying collaborators, gathering relevant support material and addressing additional questions such as availability
• Be clear and direct about your project and what you want to achieve (this is also an opportunity to clarify your work for yourself!)
• Break down bigger projects into stages
• Be simple and practical with your project plan – ask yourself: what will happen week by week, what activities do you want to achieve, and who is responsible for each task?
• Budgets tell a story about the project and what you plan on doing – identify the roles you need, refer to current award rates and be practical about what is possible with the finances available
• Pick the application format you feel most comfortable sharing your project in – SmartyGrants will let you submit responses in video, audio, text, Auslan

Drafting your EOI

• Use language that communicates your ideas clearly and simply in your own words in your own way – avoid artspeak and industry jargon
• Talk to someone about your project – friends, family or collaborators
• Ask someone you trust to review your draft EOI before you submit
• Keep referring to the selection criteria
• Consider the ‘why’ and ‘why now’ of the project
• Demonstrate your capacity to deliver – what skills and experience do you have to support the vision of your project?
• If you’re developing new skills – outline what you are wanting to learn, who you are seeking support from and the steps you need to undertake to achieve this

Need any other tips or support?

Arts Access Victoria staff are available to provide application support for Deaf and Disabled artists.

You can also get in touch with Olly and Sarah to see if they can help.

CultureLAB contact:
Olivia Anderson, Program Manager
olivia.anderson@melbourne.vic.gov.au

The Warehouse Residency contact:
Sarah Rowbottam, Creative Producer
sarah.rowbottam@melbourne.vic.gov.au

0447 570 178 (text only) 03 9322 3720 (voice only) during business hours Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm AEST.

Image Credit: J Forsyth
Image Description: A person in a yellow sweater sits at a table holding a pen. There is a clipboard and paper on the table in front of them.