Be inspired by our 2024 Art Exhibition during the month of May!
Deaf Children Australia invites you to celebrate the unique work of 29 young deaf and hard of hearing artists during the month of May. This year, our artists (aged from 8 all the way up to 23) explored the theme ‘Everyone is Different’ through a variety of different mediums.
In diversity there is beauty and there is strength. – Maya Angelou.
Thank you to every single young person who put in the time and effort to create an amazing artwork and share it with us. We are so excited for the upcoming exhibition where we can celebrate these young artists. Join our celebration from 1 – 26 May 2024 at Library at the Dock Gallery – 107 Victoria Harbour Promenade, Docklands, 3008 (located on level one inside Library at the Dock).
Submissions for our 'Everyone is Different' competition are closed. More details on our next theme to follow soon!
Explore Your Creativity
Deaf Children Australia's annual art exhibition is dedicated to supporting, promoting, and nurturing deaf and hard of hearing young people in their pursuit of creativity.
The exhibition has three categories:
- Ages 8-11,
- Ages 12-17; and
- Ages 18-23.
A new theme will be announced in mid-2024 when applications open for the next exhibition.
Visual Art
Visual Art submissions consist of artworks that need to be mailed in or delivered, and may include the following:
- Sketches
- Paintings
- Photography
- Street Art
- Sculpture
- Pottery
Digital Art
Digital Art submissions consist of artworks that can be sent online or via email, and may include the following:- Video Art
- Graphic Novels
- Animation
- Digital Illustration
- Scanned Images
- Photos
Submission Guidelines
In order to be considered, your work will also need to adhere to the following Submission Guidelines for each category. Make sure to read these conditions carefully!
- Digital art submissions must meet the following parameters:
- No submission can be greater than 300 MB in size.
- Video submissions can be a maximum of 5 minutes in length.
- Videos should be submitted as an MP4 file.
- Images must be constrained to a resolution of 3200 x 3200 at a maximum.
- Images should be submitted as either a JPG, JPEG, or PNG File.
- Vector submissions should be submitted as an SVG file.
- Graphic Novel Submissions can also be submitted as a PDF.
- All Physical Submissions should include an Submission Form, which can be downloaded here.
- Artworks including profanity or profane imagery will not be considered.
- Digital Artworks should be sent to the Communications team email, included in the Submission Form.
- If your file is too large to be included in an email, please use https://wetransfer.com/ to submit your work. If you use WeTransfer, remember to send both the Submission Form and your Artwork together, so they do not get lost!
- When submitting, include the following details in the subject line: Everyone is Different, the Category (8-11 yrs, 12-17 yrs, or 18 to 23 yrs), your First Initial, and your Surname. An example would be: Subject: F. Rose – Everyone is Different, 12 – 17 yrs
- Artwork submissions must relate, in some way, to the theme of the competition – “Everyone is Different.” Artworks that do not relate to the theme will not be considered.
- Physical Visual Art Submissions must be:
- No greater than 1m or 40 inches in either height, width, or depth.
- No greater than 40kg in mass, including packaging.
- All Physical Submissions should include a Submission Form, which can be downloaded here.
- Artworks including profanity or profane imagery will not be considered.
- Physical Artworks should be sent to Marketing and Communications at Deaf Children Australia at: PO Box 6466 St. Kilda Road, Victoria 8008
- When submitting, include a return address – in addition to the Contest (Everyone is Different), the Category (12-17 yrs or 18-23yrs), your First Initial, and your Surname. An example would be:
343 FJ Road, Melbourne VIC 3004
Everyone is Different – 12 – 17 yrs
F. Rose - Artwork submissions must relate, in some way, to the theme of the competition – “Everyone is Different.” Artworks that do not relate to the theme will not be considered.
Frequently Asked Questions
The competition launches in May 2023 and submissions close at 11:59pm on 16 February 2024, so make sure you submit your artwork before then! The results of the competition will be announced at an event in May 2024.
If you are deaf or hard-of-hearing and aged from 8 to 23 years, you are eligible! Artists will be separated into three separate divisions:
- Ages 8 to 11,
- Ages 12 to 17, and
- Ages 18 to 23.
Your submission should include your Artwork and a completed Submission Form. The Submission Form can be downloaded by clicking here.
By including your email and phone number in your Submission Form, we will be able to notify you if you are selected as a finalist and/or winner. Therefore, it is important you send a Submission Form with your work. Without it, we will be unable to contact you.
You can download the Submission Form by clicking here.
Artists must submit either a Digital or Visual artwork. This can include:
Visual Art: Painting, sculpture, drawing, pottery, photography, street art, collages
Digital Art: Video art, computer-generated imagery, graphic novels, digital or scanned images, computerised drawings, animated work.
If you are not sure about whether your artwork can be submitted, please email our Communications Team using the contact details included on the first page of our Submission Form.
You can only enter one submission each year.
There are a lot of different ways to submit artwork. Depending on the sort of artwork you will be submitting, you should read our Submissions Instruction Guide to make sure you have submitted your work correctly.
If you are struggling to identify how to send your artwork in the Submissions Instruction Guide, please contact our Communications Team using the contact information on the first page of our Submission Form, We will be able to support you with how to submit your artwork.
You need to create a new submission for this exhibition. Do not submit art you have exhibited or used to enter another competition.
Yes. Deaf Children Australia is an inclusive organisation, so submissions that include ableist, sexist, racist, homophobic, or hateful content will not be considered and will result in a ban from future competitions and promotions.
We will also not accept artworks that include promotional material. This includes logos, branding, or other forms of visual advertising. Works that contain promotional material will be disqualified.
Finally, works including profanity, profane items, or profane imagery will not be considered.
The decision of our judges is final. Any attempt made to contest or dispute the results of this competition with either Deaf Children Australia staff or our judges will result in instant disqualification and a ban from future competitions.
Also, any attempt to interfere in the judging process – including attempting to influence the judge’s decision in any way – will result in instant disqualification and a ban from future competitions. This is to ensure the competition remains impartial and fair for all participants.
Our Judges for our 2024 'Everyone is Different' Competition
Our 2024 competition, 'Everyone is Different,' is being judged by artists from across the Deaf arts space - spanning various artistic disciplines, from sculpture to performance. These artists bring an array of lived experience and insights, and we are really excited to be able to work with these amazing artists!
CHELLE DESTEFANO
Chelle Destefano’s practice as a multidisciplinary artist involves drawing, printmaking, textiles, sculpture, installation, performance, and poetry - as well as a combination of some of these disciplines into one artwork. As a Deaf artist, Chelle uses her identity to communicate her thoughts and concerns on multiple social issues such as the current housing crisis, rising homelessness and the increasing gap between not only wealthy and poor, but the gap between different races and backgrounds. Chelle uses art to share her experiences as a Deaf person living in a hearing-dominant world and how she navigates that world. Chelle was a winner of the Lake Art prize (2020) and has been a finalist for several art prizes.
ANGIE GOTO
Angie loves showing how her mind works through her bright paintings. She continually has creative and visual thoughts and this is how her paintings start. "Being deaf, I have a completely different way of experiencing the world." Angie has explored her creativity through different mediums including screen printing t-shirts, ceramics, and painting. One career highlight includes being in a film about her preparation for her first solo exhibition in 2016, the film won an award at Tropfest. Today Angie works part-time as an Artist Educator with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney and the rest of her time is spent painting. Angie sees our art competition as a great and safe space for young artists to be exposed to the competitive art space.
SUE JO WRIGHT
Sue Jo Wright is a Sydney-based artist working primarily with photography, video, and textiles to explore her identity as a Deaf person. Sue feels that using sign language saved and enriched her life - and is inspired to break barriers between the two ‘worlds’ and offer the wider community an insight into the identity of the Deaf community. Since 2019, Sue Jo has worked as a community arts advocate with a vision to reduce the barriers experienced by Deaf and hard of hearing people accessing artworks, exhibitions and performances.
