2025 CRAFT + DESIGN CANBERRA DAILY CREATIVE CHALLENGE OVERVIEW

In July 2025 we encourage our community to participate in our challenge and redefine what creativity is. Now in its 4th year the Challenge explores the theme of Rewilding, a call to return to untamed creativity, embrace imperfection, and connect with the raw, natural forces that shape both art and life. We invite you to engage in daily creative practice to rediscover inspiration and inner peace in any medium, such as clay, fabric, ink, digital tools, paint or writing.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE | Tuesday 1 July 2025 (Late registrations up to 7 July 2025 at 5pm)

HOW THE CHALLENGE WORKS

The Challenge is simple and it is free to sign up. Once registered, you will receive daily word prompts related to the theme of Rewilding via email throughout July. Create your response using any creative technique and post an image to Instagram with hashtag #CDCCREATIVECHALLENGE25. At the end of July submit your work to be eligible for over $8000 worth of prizes and to have your work showcased in our online exhibition. (Examples of previous online exhibitions can be found Here.

What better way to spend the cold winter months than by joining us to carve out dedicated time to create, explore and share your artistic expressions online? Together, we will inspire each other and discover the endless possibilities of creative practice.

The prizes for the 2025 Daily Creative Challenge are:

$5,000 Cash First Prize
$2,500 Cash Second Prize
$1,000 Cash Emerging Craftsperson Prize
$200 Curatorium Bookshop Gift Voucher

The 20 finalists will have their work exhibited in online exhibition and the winners will be invited to exhibit work in the Crucible showcase gallery of Craft + Design Canberra in November 2025.

To be eligible for a prize, you must be a current Maker, Accredited Professional or Craft + Design Lover member of Craft + Design Canberra. Join HERE

KEY DATES

Dates	Details
1 July 2025	Registrations close (Late registrations up to 7 July 2025 at 5pm)
1–31 July 2025	2025 Daily Creative Challenge
7 August 2025	Final cutoff date for Instagram posts
14 August 2025	Deadline for prize entry via online FORM (must be a financial member of Craft+ Design Canberra. Join HERE*)
21 August 2025	Shortlist of 20 finalists
15-19 September 2025	Judging
25 September	Prize winners notified
2 October 2025	Public announcement of winners
24 November 2025	Winners physical work to be delivered to gallery for the Exhibition
27 November – 13 December 2025	Exhibition dates

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE

Everyone is welcome! This year we have waived the entry fee for registration to encourage participation and share the benefits of being creative with a larger community. Everyone is welcome to have a go.

Whether it’s ceramics, sewing, drawing, metal work, sculpting, woodwork, photography, graphic design, writing, painting, video, cooking or any other creative expression, this challenge offers a unique space for self-discovery, wellbeing and artistic growth through daily creative practice. The Daily Creative Challenge is an opportunity to explore new techniques, push boundaries and share your journey with a like-minded community.

PRIZE ELIGIBILITY

The Challenge is free to sign up and free to participate, however, if you would like to be eligible to win one of the prizes:

You must be a current Maker, Accredited Professional or Craft + Design Lover member of Craft + Design Canberra to be eligible for a prize. Join HERE
Complete the 31-day challenge and submit your digital images and information via Prize Entry Online Form by 14 August 2025.

We recommend you save your digital images in the required format (below) in a folder throughout the Challenge, to make file upload easier when you submit.

Don't forget you need to be a financial member of Craft + Design Canberra to be eligible. Join HERE

The Prize Entry form will require you to submit:

Images of each entry.
Please submit all 31 images of your entries through the designated online FORM. Upload 1 image for each day of the challenge, 31 images in total. Formats: JPEG, HEIC or PNG (maximum 3MB per image). Please label each image using the following format: Name_DayNumber e.g.: AlexSmith_1, AlexSmith_2, AlexSmith_3, etc.

Statement (100-word maximum) (Written in first person).
Share a bit about yourself and your experience with the 2025 Daily Creative Challenge. Discuss how the prompts sparked new ideas, what materials you used, and how you approached the challenge. Reflect on whether the experience engaged or challenged you, and whether it inspired new ideas or ways of making.

Instagram handle

JUDGING CRITERIA

After submitting your online FORM including submitting all image files to us your submission will assessed based on:

Creative and conceptual response to the daily prompts
Cohesive approach across all responses
Quality of the responses, including skill with chosen media
Completion | 31 responses completed, published on Instagram and tagged with hashtag #CDCCREATIVECHALLENGE25 by the end of the challenge, with a deadline of 7 August 2025.

Judges

David Williams, Former Head of School, School of Art and Design, Australian National University
Jennifer McFarlane, Curator, ACT Health
Richard Baz, Director, Director, The Curatoreum
Jodie Cunningham, CEO + Artistic Director, Craft + Design Canberra

RESPONSIBILITIES

Craft + Design Canberra will provide:

A daily prompt word sent to your email each morning from 1-31 July 2025.
We will reshare selected posts from participants on the Craft + Design Canberra Instagram account. (Please note we aim to share diverse responses but also reserve the right to select the entries that best meet our judging criteria.)

All participants are responsible for:

By entering, you confirm that your daily submission is your own original work and does not infringe on any third-party rights. If your photograph includes recognisable individuals, you must have their permission for the image to be entered and potentially published.
By entering, you grant Craft + Design Canberra a non-exclusive license to use, reproduce and publish your photograph across our platforms for promotional purposes related to the competition.
Entries will be judged based on creativity, quality, cohesiveness and response to the daily prompts. The judges' decision is final.

For further information, please contact:

Victoria Bennett Deputy Director Craft + Design Canberra

victoria.bennett@craftanddesigncanberra.org

02 6262 9333

Image credit: Linda Roberts | Hollow | driftwood covers with indigo dyed paper bound with linen thread | 2024 | 5 Foot Photography

2025 Craft + Design Canberra Daily Creative Challenge

Choose your tickets

General Admission ticket

Donations

Please help us run and grow the Challenge by making a donation.