LGBTQIA+ Australians living with disability are being invited to share their stories through a new national creative competition aimed at challenging stigma, discrimination and exclusion.
People with Disability Australia has launched the competition as part of its Community Attitudes project, which seeks to improve understanding and inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people with disability in workplaces and communities.
The competition is calling for original creative works based on entrants’ lived experiences, with organisers encouraging people to tell their stories in whatever format best suits them.
Entries can include written stories, articles, blogs, letters, poetry, music, video, podcasts, artwork, sculpture, performance, comics, mixed media and Auslan videos.
The initiative places lived experience at the centre of the project, with content to be co-designed and delivered by LGBTQIA+ people with disability.
People with Disability Australia says the aim is to share authentic stories that reflect the diversity of the community while challenging stereotypes and discrimination.
The broader Community Attitudes project will deliver a national awareness and education program designed to foster safer and more inclusive environments.
The competition is open to Australians aged over 18 who identify as both LGBTQIA+ and a person with disability.
Entries must be submitted by individuals rather than organisations, with People with Disability Australia employees excluded from entering.
Entries opened at the beginning of September and close at 11.59pm AEST on Sunday, October 25.
A total of $7500 in prize money is available.
First prize is worth $2500, second prize $2000 and third prize $1500, while a separate People’s Choice winner will receive $1500.
The first, second and third-place winners are expected to be notified by November 16, while the People’s Choice winner will be announced by December 1.
People with Disability Australia says entrants will retain ownership and copyright of their work.
However, by entering the competition, participants give the organisation ongoing, royalty-free permission to display and publish their work, including online, in print, at exhibitions and events, and as part of promotional activities.
Creators will continue to be credited for their work.
The competition is designed not only to showcase creative talent, but also to give people whose experiences can often be overlooked a greater voice in conversations about disability, sexuality, gender diversity and inclusion.
People with Disability Australia says authentic storytelling can play an important role in changing attitudes and creating spaces where LGBTQIA+ people with disability feel safer, more visible and better represented.
