The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) has unveiled the accomplished judging panel for the inaugural Jim Sharman Future Award. This AUD$50,000 award is set to empower young artists aged 16-30 from Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, encouraging bold, game-changing ideas that have the potential to redefine the arts landscape.
The panel comprises an impressive roster of luminaries from across the arts and creative industries. Among them are Sarah Christie, Head of Australian Originals at Amazon MGMStudios; Kris Nelson, Festival Director, Sydney Festival 2026-2029; Angie Abdilla, Professor at the School of Cybernetics at ANU and founder of Old Ways, New; and Jason Phu, a boundary-pushing multidisciplinary artist known for his innovative digital and performance art.
Beth Shulman, Head of the NIDA Future Centre, expressed her excitement about this year’s judging panel:
“We’re thrilled to have creative leaders as part of our judging panel who bring such unique perspectives to the Jim Sharman Future Award. Our search for bold new ideas needs to be assessed through a range of different lenses. We’re delighted to welcome industry leaders who are so well placed across a range of industries to make that difficult decision.”
The Jim Sharman Future Award is part of the NIDA Future Centre’s mission to bring emerging technologies and future thinking into storytelling. It is open to visionary concepts across performance, technology, and cultural expression. The Award fosters radical thinking among the next generation of artists. Finalists will have the unique opportunity to present their ideas at a live pitch event in April 2025 at NIDA before this prestigious panel.
“In a time of rapid change, the arts have the power to inspire,” said Jim Sharman, patron of the award. “I encourage anyone with a wild idea or unique way of looking at the world to apply.”
The application process invites submissions in various formats. They include video pitches, written concepts, and other creative expressions best suited to communicating the idea.
Applications for the Jim Sharman Future Award are currently open, with the deadline fast approaching on Monday 24 March, 11:59 pm (AEDT).
Meet the Judging Panel:
Sarah Christie
Sarah is the Head of Australian Originals at Amazon MGM Studios, where she oversees all creative aspects of development, production and post-production across the originals slate. At Amazon, Sarah has worked across Class of ’07, Deadloch, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, The Office and the upcoming series Narrow Road to the Deep North,Top End Bub and Deadloch 2.
Kris Nelson
Following a six-and-a-half year stint as Artistic Director and CEO at the prestigious London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) and over a decade spent living and working in the UK and Ireland, Kris Nelson has relocated to Sydney and will deliver his first program as Sydney Festival Director in January 2026.
Angie Abdilla
Angie Abdilla (palawa) is the founder and director of Old Ways, New, and a Professor at the School of Cybernetics, ANU. Her work spans strategic design, research, and creative practice, with a focus on technology as a cultural practice. She co-founded the Indigenous Protocols and AI Working Group (2017)and developed Country Centered Design (2018).
Jason Phu
Jason is an artist working across a wide range of mediums including painting, robotics, animation and performance. His work references folk tales, family history and funny jokes. In 2023, he presented an operatic choir of robotic toys at Dark Mofo. In 2021 he was awarded the Mordant Family Moving Image Commission and created a feature length montage film for ACMI.
Online Q&A Session
Are you thinking of applying for the Jim Sharman Future Award and want more info on how to apply?
NIDA is holding an online Q&A session on Thursday 13 March at 1:00 pm (AEDT).
Join Head of NIDA Future Centre Beth Shulman & NIDA Artistic Director David Berthold in a live question and answer session. They will be answering any questions you have about the submission or award process.
About Jim Sharman
NIDA alum, (Production, 1965) Jim Sharman has created over 80 productions, many of which had a transformative effect in Australia and internationally. His groundbreaking work has traversed stage and screen, including opera and musicals. His productions include three era-defining musicals – Hair (Sydney, Tokyo, Boston), Jesus Christ Superstar (Australia, and 9 years in London’s West End) and The Rocky Horror Show (UK, USA,Australia) – as well as countless premieres and radical interpretations of classics, including works by Shakespeare, Mozart, Strindberg and Brecht.
Jim was Artistic Director of the influential Lighthouse (State Theatre of South Australia) and the 1982 Adelaide Festival, bringing Pina Bausch to Australia. Jim revived and premiered plays by Patrick White and directed the premiere of Richard Meale’s opera Voss, based on White’s novel. Among his film work, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the longest running film in the history of cinema. He is the recipient of the JC Williamson Centenary Lifetime Achievement Award and the Sydney Theatre Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. His memoir, Blood and Tinsel, was published in 2008.
NIDA welcomes applications from all genders, backgrounds, abilities, and identities, and strongly encourage submissions from historically excluded communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse individuals, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and people with disabilities. All applications will be evaluated solely on the strength, feasibility, and potential impact of the idea or project, with reasonable accommodations available to ensure equitable participation.
Website: https://www.nida.edu.au/about-us/initiatives/future-centre/future-award/
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