Ruby Awards 2025 - nominations now open
The Ruby Awards celebrate South Australia’s arts, cultural and creative industries with nominations across the 11 categories now open.
Named after late arts patron, Dame Ruby Litchfield, the Ruby Awards celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025.
These annual awards recognise the achievement and excellence of artists, creatives and organisations, demonstrated by innovation, collaboration, community involvement and inspirational leadership.
Submit your nomination, apply online for the relevant award category below.
Nominations close at 2pm on Tuesday 12 August 2025.
Award categories
- Outstanding Community Event or Project
- Outstanding Regional Event or Project
- Outstanding Work, Event or Project for Young People
- Outstanding Work or Event Within a Festival
- Outstanding Work or Event Outside a Festival
- Outstanding Collaboration
- Outstanding Contribution by an Organisation or Group
- Geoff Crowhurst Memorial Award
- Frank Ford Memorial Young Achiever Award
- Stevie Gadlabarti Goldsmith Memorial Award
- Premier’s Award for Lifetime Achievement
Nomination guidelines
Nominated works and events must have been held or presented in South Australia between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025.
Nominations can be made in up to two award categories for a single work/project. Each nomination should address the specific category in which it is being considered.
Nominees must reside or be based in South Australia or have been a resident or based in South Australia during a period of major professional achievement or development.
Previous nominees and award recipients are encouraged to apply. However, previous winners of the Outstanding Contribution by an Organisation or Group, Premier’s Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the three memorial awards cannot be nominated again for the same category.
For the full eligibility requirements, please refer to the nomination guidelines.
Award Categories
Category description
This award is for an outstanding artistic or cultural event or project that has had a significant positive impact on a community in South Australia.
A community may be defined by a uniting factor, such as geographic location, cultural background, religious belief, gender, or disability, or it could be an online community.
The award is open to:
- arts, cultural and creative industries
- community organisations
- individual artists
- local and state government
- not-for-profit sector
- private enterprise
- professional artists and organisations
Judges' considerations
- The artistic merit of the event/activity, its originality, quality and impact
- How the work/event/activity has contributed to the development of its art form/event type/activity
- How the nominee has contributed to South Australia through the arts, cultural and creative industries
Category description
This award is for an outstanding artistic or cultural event or project that has had a significant positive impact on a regional community in South Australia.
A community may be defined by a uniting factor, such as geographic location, cultural background, religious belief, gender, or disability, or it could be an online community within a regional area in South Australia.
The award is open to:
- arts, cultural and creative industries
- community organisations
- individual artists
- local and state government
- not-for-profit sector
- private enterprise
- professional artists and organisations
Judges' considerations
- The artistic merit of the event/activity, its originality, quality and impact
- How the work/event/activity has contributed to the development of its art form/event type/activity
- How the nominee has contributed to South Australia through the arts, cultural and creative industries
Category description
This award is for an outstanding arts, cultural or creative industries work, event or project for young people presented or held in South Australia. Nominees must be able to demonstrate a positive impact on and/or outcomes for young people.
The nominated work can be a performance, show, production, film, visual arts exhibition, publication, project, or initiative aimed specifically at people aged 30 years and under.
The award is open to:
- arts, cultural and creative industries
- community organisations
- individual artists
- local and state government
- not-for-profit sector
- private enterprise
- professional artists and organisations
Judges' considerations
- The artistic merit of the event/activity, its originality, quality and impact
- How the work/event/activity has contributed to the development of its art form/event type/activity
- How the nominee has contributed to South Australia through the arts, cultural and creative industries
Category description
This award is for an outstanding work or event presented or held as part of a festival program in South Australia.
Works and events can include performances, shows, productions, films, artworks, publications, and visual arts exhibitions presented as part of a festival.
The award is open to:
- arts, cultural and creative industries
- community organisations
- individual artists
- local and state government
- not-for-profit sector
- private enterprise
- professional artists and organisations
Judges' considerations
- The artistic merit of the event/activity, its originality, quality and impact
- How the work/event/activity has contributed to the development of its art form/event type/activity
- How the nominee has contributed to South Australia through the arts, cultural and creative industries
Category description
This award is for an outstanding work or event presented or held in South Australia, not as part of a festival program.
Works and events can include performances, shows, productions, films, artworks, publications, and visual arts exhibitions presented not as part of a festival.
The award is open to:
- arts, cultural and creative industries
- community organisations
- individual artists
- local and state government
- not-for-profit sector
- private enterprise
- professional artists and organisations
Judges' considerations
- The artistic merit of the event/activity, its originality, quality and impact,
- How the work/event/activity has contributed to the development of its art form/event type/activity
- How the nominee has contributed to South Australia through arts, cultural and creative industries
Category description
This award recognises activities that encourage strategic and innovative collaboration between independent artists and groups, funded arts, and cultural organisations, or with organisations outside the arts and cultural sector.
Nominations will be accepted for creative developments, projects, events, exhibitions, publications, or performances that have been developed through a collaborative process that includes the sharing of resources and knowledge. Nominees should consider collaborations outside of the usual co-production relationships.
Both the partners involved, and the outcomes of the collaboration will be considered for the award
The award is open to:
- arts, cultural and creative industries
- community organisations
- individual artists
- local and state government
- not-for-profit sector
- private enterprise
- professional artists and organisations
Judges' consideration
- The artistic merit of the work/project/event/activity, its originality, quality and impact
- How the work/project/event/activity has contributed to the development of its art form
- What the input of the partners/collaborators has been
- How the input of the collaborator/partners has enhanced the outcome
- Collaborations outside of the usual co-production relationships
Category description
This award recognises a small-to-medium organisation or group that has made an outstanding contribution to arts and culture in South Australia.
Nominees must be small-to-medium arts or cultural organisations or groups, receiving no funding or less than $1 million in funding from Arts South Australia.
The award is open to:
- amateur companies
- small-to-medium funded and funded and unfunded, arts, cultural and creative industries organisations
- community organisations
- not-for-profit sector
- private enterprise
- volunteer organisations or groups
Judges' considerations
- How the nominee has demonstrated artistic merit, originality, quality, impact or leadership in their field
- How the nominee has achieved peer recognition in their field
- What major activities or developments has the Organisation or Group achieved in the past financial year
Category description
Named in honour of South Australian theatre director Geoff Crowhurst, this award recognises the contribution of an individual or organisation to community arts and cultural development.
Nominees must be able to demonstrate credibility through involvement in arts and cultural projects that build stronger, more cohesive communities. This may be evidenced by creative collaborations between the arts and cultural sector and communities, working to achieve artistic and social outcomes.
A community is determined by a uniting factor, such as geographic location, cultural background, religious belief, gender, or disability, or it could be an online community.
The award is open to:
- arts, cultural and creative industries workers
- community workers
- local and State Government workers
- not-for-profit sector workers
- private enterprise workers
- professional artists
- volunteers
Judges' considerations
- How the nominee has demonstrated artistic merit, originality, quality, impact or leadership in their field
- How the nominee has achieved peer recognition in their field
Category description
This award recognises outstanding artistic or cultural achievement or contribution by an individual young South Australian. Nominees must be aged 30 years or under as of 30 June 2025.
The award is open to:
- arts, cultural and creative industries workers
- community workers
- individual artists (professional and emerging)
- local and State Government workers
- not-for-profit sector workers
- private enterprise workers
- volunteers
Judges' considerations
- How the nominee has demonstrated artistic merit, originality, quality, impact or leadership in their field
- How the nominee has achieved peer recognition in their field
Category description
This award recognises outstanding artistic or cultural achievement or contribution by a South Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-focused organisation or group, or an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identified individual.
The award is open to:
- arts, cultural and creative industries workers
- community workers
- local and state government workers
- not-for-profit sector workers
- private enterprise workers
- volunteers
Judges' considerations
- How the nominee has demonstrated artistic merit, originality, quality, impact or leadership in their field
- How the nominee has achieved peer recognition in their field
Category description
This award recognises an extraordinary South Australian who, through a lifetime of outstanding service, has made an indelible contribution to arts and culture.
Nominees must be able to demonstrate credibility through a lifetime’s body of work, creative originality, professionalism, or leadership.
The award is open to:
- arts, cultural and creative industries workers
- community workers
- local and state government workers
- not-for-profit sector workers
- private enterprise workers
- professional artists
- volunteers
Judges' considerations
- How the nominee has demonstrated artistic merit, originality, quality, impact or leadership in their field
- How the nominee has achieved peer recognition in their field.
Judging Panel Expressions of Interest
Expressions of Interest are now closed for the 2025 Ruby Awards judging panel.
The EOI remains open for future judging panels.
Join us in celebrating and recognising the vibrant arts, cultural and creative industries communities of South Australia!
For further information please email the Ruby Awards team at RubyAwards@sa.gov.au
